ERIC Number: EJ1416548
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2047-3869
EISSN: EISSN-2047-3877
Autism Spectrum Disorder: Comorbidity and Demographics in a Clinical Sample
International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, v70 n2 p241-250 2024
Objective: To determine the demographic and clinical characteristics of children followed up with the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at a tertiary center in Southeeast Turkey. Methods: Children followed up with the diagnosis of ASD at a university hospital child psychiatry clinic between June 2016 and June 2021 were evaluated retrospectively for comorbidities, intellectual functioning and age at diagnosis. Results: In the preschool group, females displayed significantly more frequent cognitive developmental delay. Median age at diagnosis was 36 months (IQR= 22) regardless of gender. Approximately three-fourth (73.7%) of the cases had at least one psychiatric comorbid disorder while 22.8% had at least one medical diagnosis. Psychiatric comorbidity was found to be associated with later diagnosis. Conclusion: Although the age at first diagnosis in this study is relatively earlier than the studies in the literature, most of the children with ASD are still diagnosed very late. Psychiatric comorbidities may lead to later diagnosis due to overshadowing. Training of educational and primary healthcare workers on symptoms of ASD may enable earlier diagnosis.
Descriptors: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Children, Individual Characteristics, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Gender Differences, Age Differences, Mental Disorders, Physical Health, Comorbidity, Clinical Diagnosis, Disability Identification, Foreign Countries, Intelligence Tests, Rating Scales
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Turkey
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children; Childhood Autism Rating Scale
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A