Title : The clinical features of children with autism spectrum disorder
Abstract:
Literature on the clinical features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in India are rare. This study addresses this gap by examining the clinical characteristics of 120 children with ASD in India. The children involved in this study are from three centers in specializing in the management of ASD. An autism diagnosis was confirmed through clinical observation by DSM-IV criteria and standardized diagnostic tools for ASD. We examined socio-demographic characteristics, including the children’s sex and age, and the children’s parents’ age and education level when a diagnosis was determined. We also studied clinical features, including the child’s age at the time of early alert signs and at diagnosis, the core alert sign and symptom(s) at diagnosis, and the presence and severity of ASD comorbidities. Of the 120 children involved in this study, 87 were boys (72.50%) and 33 were girls (27.50%). The mean age (SD) at early alert signs and diagnosis were 1.8 (SD=.78) and 7.83 (SD=3.4) years. According to the children’s parents, 54% reported communication disorders as the main alert sign, while 62% noted these disorders were the main symptom of their child’s ASD. Behavioral and interaction disorders were the other most common characteristics parents identified. The cores symptoms of ASD were correlated with epilepsy (p=.027), cerebral palsy (p=.026), and a hearing impairment (p=.045). The main clinical features of all 120 children were as follows: delays in diagnosis and speech co-occurring with epilepsy and a hearing impairment. Taken together, they indicate the severity of ASD in India context.
