Nelofar Kiran Rauf1, Naeem Aslam1, Uzma Anjum2. 1. National Institute of Psychology (NIP), Centre of Excellence, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. 2. Faculty of Advanced Integrated Studies and Research, National University of Modern Languages (NUML), Islamabad.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine the characteristic symptoms and adaptive behaviors of children with autism, as well as the distribution of autism severity groups across gender. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Special Education Schools of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, from September 2011 to January 2012. METHODOLOGY: Thirty nine children of either gender, aged 3 - 16 years and enrolled in special education schools, fulfilled the DSM-IV-TR criteria of autism. Among those, were identified as meeting the criteria of autism. The childhood autism rating scale-2 (CARS-2) was used to study the characteristics and severity of symptoms of autism. Later, adaptive behavior scale (school edition: 2) ABS-S: 2, was administered on children (n=21) to formulate the level of adaptive functioning. RESULTS: There were 15 boys and 8 girls with mean age of 10.6 ± 2.97 years. They showed marked impairment in verbal communication (mean=3.17 ± 0.90) followed by relating to people (mean=2.75 ± 0.83) and general impression (mean=2.73 ± 0.7). Most of the children showed average to below average adaptive behaviors on number and time (n=19, 90.5%), independent functioning (n=17, 81.0%), self direction (n=17, 81.0%), physical development (n=13, 61.9%), responsibility (n=12, 57.1%) and socialization (n=13, 61.9%) as well as poor to very poor adaptive behaviors on prevocational skill (n=15, 71.4%), language development (n=13, 61.9%) and economic development (n=13, 61.9%). The frequency of boys with autism was more towards moderate to severely impaired spectrum, without gender differences in any symptom associated with autism. CONCLUSION: Comprehension of the presentation of characteristic symptoms of children with autism will be helpful in devising the indigenous intervention plans that are congruent with the level of adaptive functioning.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the characteristic symptoms and adaptive behaviors of children with autism, as well as the distribution of autism severity groups across gender. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Special Education Schools of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, from September 2011 to January 2012. METHODOLOGY: Thirty nine children of either gender, aged 3 - 16 years and enrolled in special education schools, fulfilled the DSM-IV-TR criteria of autism. Among those, were identified as meeting the criteria of autism. The childhood autism rating scale-2 (CARS-2) was used to study the characteristics and severity of symptoms of autism. Later, adaptive behavior scale (school edition: 2) ABS-S: 2, was administered on children (n=21) to formulate the level of adaptive functioning. RESULTS: There were 15 boys and 8 girls with mean age of 10.6 ± 2.97 years. They showed marked impairment in verbal communication (mean=3.17 ± 0.90) followed by relating to people (mean=2.75 ± 0.83) and general impression (mean=2.73 ± 0.7). Most of the children showed average to below average adaptive behaviors on number and time (n=19, 90.5%), independent functioning (n=17, 81.0%), self direction (n=17, 81.0%), physical development (n=13, 61.9%), responsibility (n=12, 57.1%) and socialization (n=13, 61.9%) as well as poor to very poor adaptive behaviors on prevocational skill (n=15, 71.4%), language development (n=13, 61.9%) and economic development (n=13, 61.9%). The frequency of boys with autism was more towards moderate to severely impaired spectrum, without gender differences in any symptom associated with autism. CONCLUSION: Comprehension of the presentation of characteristic symptoms of children with autism will be helpful in devising the indigenous intervention plans that are congruent with the level of adaptive functioning.