Ordinal measurement of autistic behavior: A preliminary report

Ordinal diagnostic criteria were developed and used to assess the clinical characteristics of 20 autistic children. Subgroups of autistic children were identified and, on the basis of rankings on behavioral measures and performance on standardized tests and indices of school achievement, found to differ with respect to general level of functioning and educational placement. Developmental changes, expected in autistic children over a 12-year period, were reflected in higher rankings, especially for those in less restricted educational placements. Although the ordinal classification of autistic behavior is preliminary and the present results are based on the observation of only 20 children, the inclusion of ordinal criteria was found to promote high levels of diagnostic agreement among therapists and to facilitate the clinical monitoring of autistic children.