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The Prevalence of Gilles de la Tourette's Syndrome in Children and Adolescents with Autism
Author(s) -
BaronCohen Simon,
Mortimore Catherine,
Moriarty John,
Izaguirre Jon,
Robertson Mary
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of child psychology and psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.652
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1469-7610
pISSN - 0021-9630
DOI - 10.1111/1469-7610.00434
Subject(s) - autism , psychology , tourette syndrome , epidemiology , tics , psychiatry , el niño , developmental psychology , prevalence , family history , clinical psychology , pediatrics , medicine , radiology
Thirty‐seven pupils attending a special school for children and adolescents with autism were observed for the presence of motor and vocal tics. Subsequent family interviews confirmed the diagnosis of comorbid Gilles de la Touretteapos;s Syndrome (GTS) in three children with autism, giving a minimum prevalence rate of 8.1%. Family history data also suggested this was heritable. The presence of GTS was not associated with superior intellectual, language, or social development. Results suggest that the rate of GTS in autism may exceed that expected by chance. The limited sample size constrains this conclusion. A large‐scale epidemiological study testing this association study would appear merited.