Investigators:

Grace Baranek, Ph.D., Division of Occupational Science
Linda Watson, Ed.D., Associate Professor, Division of Speech & Hearing Sciences
Elizabeth Crais, Ph.D., Division of Speech & Hearing Sciences
Steve Reznick, Ph.D., Professor, Developmental Psychology

Other researchers:

Shaye Reavis, graduate student

The development of the FYI has proceeded in phases. In Phase 1, researchers compiled a list of infant behaviors that might predict a subsequent diagnosis of ASD and then develop a set of questions that would allow parents to report on their child’s tendency to display these behaviors. In Phase 2, the FYI was mailed to 6,000 families and 1,500 completed FYIs were used to determine normative response patterns for each FYI question that provided a basis for a scoring algorithm to identify infants at risk for an eventual diagnosis of ASD. In Phase 3, follow-up data based on parent-report and clinical assessment is being used to validate the FYI, revise the scoring algorithm, and identify FYI questions that were not effective. Phase 4 will be an update of the FYI questions.