Research Question
The research question of this study is, “How does ASD diagnosis stability and severity vary for children diagnosed when 18 to 48 months old?” The study is captivating since studies have established that early diagnosis of ASD generally advances outcomes and quality of life (Benedetto et al., 2021). Consequently, this results in a substantial reduction in social costs.
Hypothesis
The study evaluates ASD diagnostic stability in a sample of children and toddlers diagnosed when 18 to 48 old for one year (Benedetto et al., 2021). It hypothesizes that there would be a variance in the stability and extremity of diagnosis based on the relations between diagnosis age and rigorousness of symptoms.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Methodology
The research applied a prospective longitudinal cohort study. Participants were patients 18 to 48 months old selected during their maiden neuropsychiatric session. Also, they were supposed to have a Diagnostic Observation Schedule baseline and follow-up scores. They were then grouped into three groups according to their ages and three extremity levels. A standardized treatment then followed three weeks after diagnosis. For measurements, toddler module, module1 and 2 of ADOS-2 were used. Diagnostic stability was established at each extremity stage which set four stability patterns (Benedetto et al., 2021).
Results and their Significance
The study findings showed a significant distribution change in the three extremity groups from baseline to subsequent visit for each maiden-consultation-age group. Generally, most children and toddlers diagnosed between 18 and 48 months persisted in being symptomatic after one year. However, a substantial number diagnosed with greater extremity scores showed severity reduction, moving to milder extremities after a year. Besides, there was an increase in the number of participants who no longer meet the conditions for a definite diagnosis (Benedetto et al., 2021). However, they continued to display delays in at least one neurodevelopmental area.
Results interpretation
ASD prompt diagnosis is said to reasonably stable but highly sensible (Benedetto et al., 2021). However, timely diagnosis and treatment access are vital factors affecting patient’s outcome; hence should be considered to improve patients' life quality.
References
Benedetto, L., Cucinotta, F., Maggio, R., Germanò, E., De Raco, R., & Alquino, A. et al. (2021). One-Year Follow-Up Diagnostic Stability of Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis in a Clinical Sample of Children and Toddlers. Brain Sciences, 11(1), 37. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11010037
