Original articleRate of Head Growth Decelerates and Symptoms Worsen in the Second Year of Life in Autism
Section snippets
Participants
Participants were 28 male children with ASD (17 children with autistic disorder and 11 children with pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified [PDD-NOS]) who were administered a diagnostic evaluation at age 3–4 years (M age = 42.7 months, SD = 4.1, range 37–52 months) as part of their participation in a National Institute of Child Health and Human Development–funded longitudinal study. The mean Mullen Composite Standard Score for the sample was 61.5 (SD = 17.8, range 49–106).
Results
OFC scores obtained from medical records are shown in Figure 1. To compare the growth rates for children measured at varying points in time from birth to 3 years, the metric data for head circumference, height, and weight were transformed to Z scores using the Centers for Disease Control (2002) Growth Charts normative data for gender- and age-matched children, developed by the National Center for Health Statistics. If an individual child’s rate of change in OFC Z scores is positive (Z scores
Discussion
In this study, we examined head circumference growth longitudinally in 28 children with autism spectrum disorder from birth through 36 months of age. Whereas children with ASD, on average, did not have significantly larger head circumference at birth, by 1 year of age head circumference was nearly 1 SD larger than the national CDC norms. This unusual and rapid increase in head growth from birth to 12 months was reflected in a significant difference in slope in OFC Z scores during this period.
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2018, Research in Autism Spectrum DisordersCitation Excerpt :The relationship between accelerated growth in head circumference and intellectual development is still unclear. Some studies have shown that larger head circumference was related to more severe symptoms and greater deficits in adaptive social functioning and IQ (Chaste et al., 2007; Chawarska et al., 2011). However, other studies have not described any correlation between cranial circumference and specific abilities or cognitive functions (de Vinck-Baroody et al., 2015; Deutsch & Joseph, 2003; Gillberg & de Souza, 2002).
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