Diagnosis and History Taking in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Dealing with the Challenges

Frontiers in Pediatrics

Michele Y. F. Kong¹ 

关键词: autism;    non-verbal behavior;    children;    critical illness;    communication;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fped.2015.00055

学科分类：儿科学

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has become one of the most common neurodevelopmental diagnoses, occurring in approximately 1 in 68 children in the United States (1). Physicians caring for children with autism during the child’s acute illness may face challenges in diagnosis and treatment that can negatively impact quality of care. The difficulties stem in large measure from the core features of the syndrome. Specifically, ASD is characterized by impairments in communication skills; impairments in reciprocal social interactions; and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior and interests (2, 3). In addition to these core diagnostic features, ASD is often accompanied by impairments in cognitive and adaptive functioning, attention deficit, sensory processing disorder, and aggression or self-injurious behavior (4). In the presence of an acute illness, it can be extremely difficult to disentangle the core behaviors of autism from other illnesses. This challenge is intensified in a subgroup of these children who have very little or no expressive language (often characterized as “non-verbal” or “minimally verbal”) (5).

【 授权许可】

CC BY