The early development of autistic children.

A sample of 74 young autistic children was selected and defined by direct observation of specific behaviors and clinical assessment of the presence or absence of associated pathological conditions. Retrospective developmental data on these children and 38 age-matched normal children were gathered by means of a written inventory completed by the parents when the children were relatively young (mean age less than 4 years). The autistic children were reported to have had significant delays in the development of motor abilities, speech, communication, comprehension, and, to a lesser extent, perception during their 1st and 2nd years.