Boston Outcomes of Autism in Toddlers Study — BOAT  

Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Trial

Official title: The Boston Outcomes of Autism in Toddlers Study

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this research study is to learn more about the outcomes of children who received an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis when they were toddlers. The study is interested in whether an early diagnosis can help children with their cognitive, language, social, and behavioral abilities.

Clinical Trial Description

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in domains of social communication and restrictive and repetitive behavior. There is general agreement, in light of knowledge around optimal periods of neural plasticity, that ASD should be diagnosed as early as possible since young toddlers are at a critical stage in early development when intervention is theoretically most effective. The rate of persistence of an ASD diagnosis is heavily debated.Therefore this study attempts:

1. To determine the rate of persistence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis and functional outcomes, as defined by cognitive level, adaptive functioning, language skills, persistence of ASD symptoms, and classroom placement at kindergarten age, among children who received a DSM-5 ASD diagnosis at < 36 months.

2. To evaluate predictors of rate of persistence and functional outcomes among kindergarten grade level children ages 5-7 years, who received an ASD diagnosis as toddlers. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Autism
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Autistic Disorder

• NCT number: NCT03517163
• Study type: Observational
• Source: Boston Children's Hospital
• Status: Completed
• Start date: June 1, 2018
• Completion date: January 1, 2022