Diagnoses for autism based on the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) were examined for 83 individuals with suspected autism. Individuals diagnosed with autism based on only one system were significantly younger than those with diagnoses based on both systems. Comparison for possible gender…

This study examined behavioral adjustment in 22 siblings of children with autism. Mothers rated these children as having more behavior problems and fewer prosocial behaviors than a normative sample. Analysis of variables revealed that male siblings and children younger than the autistic sibling engaged in fewer prosocial behaviors. Psychological…

This study investigated associations between selected infant and maternal characteristics and autism risk in 4381 California children with autism. Increased risk factors were observed for males, multiple births, and children born to black mothers. Risk increased as maternal age and maternal education increased. Children of immigrant mothers had…

Platelet serotonin (5HT) levels of 5 autistic subjects (ages 16-37) who had siblings with either autism or pervasive developmental disorder were significantly higher than levels of 23 autistic subjects without affected siblings. Autistic subjects without affected siblings had 5HT levels significantly higher than 10 normal controls. Sex, age, and…

This study compared the body mass index (BMI) of 118 children with infantile autism with corresponding BMI percentiles in age-and sex-matched reference populations. The BMI distribution of the male children was significantly lower than that of the age-matched reference population. BMI was not associated with intelligence or socioeconomic status.…

A study examined 233 children's ratings of attitudes and behavioral interventions toward a peer with or without autism. Both third- and sixth-grade children showed less positive attitudes toward children with autism. Children showed no differences on behavioral intentions. Information about autism did not affect ratings. (Contains references.)…

This study of parenting stress, child behavior, and dysphoria among 150 families found that parents of children with autism and behavior disorders reported more stress than parents of Down's syndrome or nondisabled children. Mothers of Down's syndrome children did not differ from mothers of nondisabled children on any measures. No major age or…

Three experiments investigated whether theory-of-mind deficits and weak central coherence might be functionally related. Found that theory-of-mind performance was inversely related to a measure of central coherence bias in the general population. Poor theory-of-mind performance was linked to weak central coherence among children with typical…