A、Children who had not spoken before age 2. B、Children who did not use phrases before 18 months. C、Children who had not spoken b

It’s long been the hope of parents of autistic(患自闭症的)children that the right care and support can reduce or even reverse some of the developmental problems associated with the condition. But while a recent study found that(16)behavioral intervention programs are linked with normalization of some brain activity, and the question of whether children can outgrow autism remains difficult to answer. Studies to date that have hinted at this possibility were plagued with lingering questions about whether the children who apparently shed their autism were properly diagnosed with the developmental disorder in the first place. The new research, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and led by Deborah Fein of the University of Connecticut, involved 34 people ages 8 to 21 who had been diagnosed with autism but no longer met criteria for the condition. The initial diagnosis had to be made in writing by a doctor or psychologist specializing in autism before the child turned five. And. to make sure they were studying severe cases,(17)researchers included only children who had not spoken before 18 months or did not use phrases before age 2. While the research suggests that some children do extremely well, it’s also important not to give false hope or add to the guilt felt by some parents over their children’s prognosis, the researchers stress. For parents with young children with autism,(18)the message is that there is a really wide range of outcomes from very severe disability to pretty much indistinguishable from typical development. We have to live with that uncertainty and give the best interventions and parenting that we can and applaud all the gains a child makes.
16. What can we learn about autism from the speaker?
17. Who were included as subjects for the new research?
18. What is the message for parents with young children with autism?