The first goal of the study was to determine whether coherence factors, here used as variables, significantly separate ASD- from the control (C)-group populations. As described under Results, when all 40 variables were forced to enter, discriminant function analysis (DFA) produced a highly significant (P < 0.0001) group difference across the full 2- to 12-year-old population and, additionally, for the three separate age group analyses of the 2- to 4-, the 4- to 6-, and the 6- to 12-year-old subjects. These findings establish that the 40 coherence factors significantly separate pediatric ASD-patients from C-subjects.
