Twenty years after first being assessed in a long-term autism study, 41 Utahns with the disorder had a higher social outcome than those in similar studies, University of Utah psychiatry researchers have reported [Autism Research, 2(2): 109-118].
Although the researchers can't yet explain why the follow-up study showed the Utah group fared better overall in living independently, developing social relationships, and in some cases even showing higher IQs than 20 years ago, the results offer hope for many with a childhood diagnosis of autism, according to Megan A. Farley, PhD, the study's first author and a research associate in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Utah School of Medicine.
"This is an amazing group of people who, in many cases, did a lot more than their parents were told they would ever do," Dr. Farley commented of those who participated in the follow-up study. "This gives a lot of hope for younger people with autism and average-range IQs."
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