Discover how a 2025 Nature autism study transforms early intervention in speech language pathology. Learn how family history, genetics, and executive function shape assessment, therapy planning, and lifelong communication outcomes. If you work with children with autism, this episode will change how you think about early intervention forever. A major 2025 study published in Nature titled Polygenic and developmental profiles of autism differ by age of diagnosis has revealed that early onset autism and later developing autism are not the same. This is one of the largest autism studies ever conducted, examining more than 47,000 individuals around the world. The results reshape how we understand autism heritability, family psychiatric history, and executive function development. In this episode, you will learn:

✅ Why early autism diagnosed before age three is genetically distinct from later developing autism that emerges in middle childhood or adolescence

✅ How family psychiatric history, including ADHD, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and substance use predicts later developing autism

✅ Why the DSM 5 removal of the age three cutoff was not only progressive but empirically supported

✅ How this research should change your parent input forms and follow up recommendations

✅ Why executive function including attention, cognitive flexibility, and self regulation is the bridge between prevention and intervention

This study confirms that autism can emerge at any point in development when social and academic demands exceed a child’s executive function capacity. That finding changes everything about how we evaluate, how we plan early intervention, and how we empower families. If you are ready to move beyond reactive labels toward proactive, capacity-building intervention, this episode will show you how to do exactly that. 💡 Join the SIS Membership at https://www.kellyvess.com/sis to access weekly movement-based literacy and language activities that build executive function, the foundation for lifelong communication, learning, and independence.

Source: Zhang, Y., et al. (2025). Polygenic and developmental profiles of autism differ by age of diagnosis. Nature, 631(8046), 455–468. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41034588/

Note: The diagnosis of Autism is an interdisciplinary process. In the U.S. public school system, a psychologist, social worker, and SLP are minimally required. In private settings, most insurers require a psychologist, MD, or psychiatrist with an allied health professional, such as an SLP.