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Abstract

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Autism is a spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders that affects children from all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. The diagnosis is based on their developmental and medical history as well as observations of their social, communicative, and play behaviors that usually begin before age of three years. OBJECTIVE: A descriptive study of autism to describe the prevalence of autism among childhood psychiatric disorders, the age for diagnosis of autism, sex distribution, family history and the clinical features of autism. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study included a sample of 208 children with psychiatric disorder, who were attending pediatric psychiatric department evaluated for the criteria of autism. Data collected were including (the age at the diagnosis, sex, family history and clinical characters included the main clinical features and other associated features of autism). RESULTS: Of the 208 patients registered psychiatric problem, 33(15.87%) met criteria for autism, the mean age for the diagnosis of autism was 5.45 years with the boys more predominant than girls. Three main clinical features of autism are communication abnormality, social abnormality and behavioral abnormality. The communication abnormality were the most commonest features. Other associated features included enuresis (the commonest), encopresis, sleep problems, over activity and anxiety. Macrocephaly and seizure are important clinical characters of autism presented in 12% and 9.1% respectively. CONCLUSION: Autism is not rare and autistic children represent a significant subgroup of children with serious psychiatric disturbance. Speech delay and abnormalities in language are the hallmark features of autistic disturbance.

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