Developmental regression in autism spectrum disorder.

The occurrence of developmental regression in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is one of the most puzzling phenomena of this disorder. A little is known about the nature and mechanism of developmental regression in ASD. About one-third of young children with ASD lose some skills during the preschool period, usually speech, but sometimes also nonverbal communication, social or play skills are also affected. There is a lot of evidence suggesting that most children who demonstrate regression also had previous, subtle, developmental differences. It is difficult to predict the prognosis of autistic children with developmental regression. It seems that the earlier development of social, language, and attachment behaviors followed by regression does not predict the later recovery of skills or better developmental outcomes. The underlying mechanisms that lead to regression in autism are unknown. The role of subclinical epilepsy in the developmental regression of children with autism remains unclear.