Children with ASD and Communication Regression: Examining Pre-Loss Skills and Later Language Outcomes Through the Preschool Years

This study investigated receptive and expressive language outcomes in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with and without a history of language/communication regression, employing three progressively less stringent definitions of regression. Data were derived from a large, longitudinal sample of children with ASD in which regression was assessed at approximately 30 months. Results indicated poorer receptive language and larger discrepancies between receptive and expressive language in the regression group than the group without regression at 44 months but not 66 months. Number of words used before loss predicted receptive language at 44 months. Overall, results suggest that a regression profile in ASD is associated with modest and transient impacts on language outcomes that are no longer discernable at school entry.