This prospective study examined object exploration behavior in 66 12-month-old infants, of whom nine were subsequently diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Previous investigations differ on when the repetitive behaviors characteristic of autism are first present in early development. A task was developed that afforded specific opportunities for a range of repetitive uses of objects and was coded blind to outcome status. The autism/ASD outcome group displayed significantly more spinning, rotating, and unusual visual exploration of objects than two comparison groups. The average unusual visual exploration score of the autism/ASD group was over four standard deviations above the mean of the group with no concerns at outcome. Repetitive behaviors at 12 months were significantly related to cognitive and symptomatic status at 36 month outcome. These results suggest that repetitive or stereotyped behaviors may be present earlier than initially thought in very young children developing the autism phenotype.

Objective The onset of autism is usually conceptualized as occurring in one of two patterns, an early onset and a regressive pattern. This study examined the number and shape of trajectories of symptom onset evident in coded home movies of children with autism and examined their correspondence with parent report of onset. Methods Four social-communicative behaviors were coded from the home video of children with autism (n = 52) or typical development (n = 23). All home video from 6 through 24 months of age was coded (3199 segments). Latent class modeling was used to characterize trajectories and determine the optimal number needed to describe the coded home video. These trajectories were then compared to parent report of onset patterns, as defined by the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised. Results A three trajectory model best fit the data from the participants with autism. One trajectory displayed low levels of social-communication across time. A second trajectory displayed high levels of social-communication early in life, followed by a significant decline over time. A third trajectory displayed initial levels of behavior that were similar to the typically developing group, but little progress in social-communication with age. There was poor correspondence between home video-based trajectories and parent report of onset. Conclusions More than two onset categories may be needed to describe the ways in which symptoms emerge in children with autism. There is low agreement between parent report and home video, suggesting that methods for improving parent report of early development must be developed.

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Childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD) is a rare pervasive developmental disorder that involves regression after a period of at least 2 years of typical development. This case study presents data from family home movies, coded by reliable raters using an objective coding system, to examine the trajectory of development in one child with a reported regression at 48 months of age. Coding substantiated parent reports of mostly typical early development, followed by later catastrophic loss of skills across many developmental domains. Differential diagnosis of CDD and autism with regression is discussed.

Data from a statewide, anonymous survey were used to test for differences between adolescents’ sexual health behaviors and their outcomes across settings. Youth in juvenile correctional facilities (JCFs) were disproportionally male and Black compared to their peers in public schools. Youth in JCFs were significantly more likely than their peers to report that they had ever had sex, used substances prior to last sex, or been involved in a pregnancy. They were less likely to have used condoms or contraception at last sex, or to report having talked with their partners about sexually transmitted infections or birth control. The results highlight the importance of comprehensive sexual health education and access to a reproductive health provider for students in JCFs.