Open AccessClinical and Demographic Features of 76 Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders at a Centre in Pakistan
Author(s) -
Ghazal Nadeem,
Aleena Bibi,
Bushra Suhaib,
Suhaib Ahmed,
Salman Ali
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
jcpsp
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.229
H-Index - 33
eISSN - 1681-7168
pISSN - 1022-386X
DOI - 10.29271/jcpsp.2019.04.390
Subject(s) - sibling , referral , consanguinity , autism , autism spectrum disorder , medicine , pediatrics , cross sectional study , psychiatry , family medicine , psychology , developmental psychology , pathology
In this cross-sectional study, 76 consecutive children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were studied for the clinical and demographic parameters at Autism Resource Centre in Pakistan. The median age at first consultation was 30 months, 36 months at diagnosis, and 42 months at referral to a specialised centre. Clinical psychologists, therapists and paediatricians were the most frequently involved people in diagnosis. There was an average delay of one year between the first consultation and referral to the specialised centre. The male to female ratio was 4.4:1. Consanguinity was observed in 33 (43.4%) children. Three children had another affected sibling. Half of the children were from the affluent class, while two-thirds of the parents were professionals having good education. The severity of ASD showed that 13 (17%) children had borderline features, 50 (66%) had mild to moderate ASD, while 13 (17%) had severe ASD.