Autism Spectrum Disorder In Pakistan: A Review

2022

Objectives: Research examining the age of diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and its influencing factors mostly originate from developed Western countries, providing little to no systematic information about the understanding and management of ASD in the rest of the world. The present exploratory study examined the influence of child and family characteristics on the age of ASD diagnosis in Saudi Arabia. Results: The median age at diagnosis was 3.0 years and was associated with some child and family characteristics. A one-year increase in child's age was associated with a 0.1-year increase in age of diagnosis (95% CI: 0.05, 0.12). Children who did not respond to their name were diagnosed 0.3 years earlier than other children (95% CI: - 0.60, -0.05), and engaging in challenging behavior was associated with a 0.5-year increase in age of diagnosis (95% CI: 0.20, 0.81). A lack of comorbidity was associated with a 0.6-year increase in the age of diagnosis compared to the dia...

BMC psychiatry, 2017

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of complex neurodevelopmental disorders. The prevalence of ASD in many South Asian countries is still unknown. The aim of this study was to systematically review available epidemiological studies of ASD in this region to identify gaps in our current knowledge. We searched, collected and evaluated articles published between January 1962 and July 2016 which reported the prevalence of ASD in eight South Asian countries. The search was conducted in line with the PRISMA guidelines. We identified six articles from Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka which met our predefined inclusion criteria. The reported prevalence of ASD in South Asia ranged from 0.09% in India to 1.07% in Sri Lanka that indicates up to one in 93 children have ASD in this region. Alarmingly high prevalence (3%) was reported in Dhaka city. Study sample sizes ranged from 374 in Sri Lanka to 18,480 in India. The age range varied between 1 and 30 years. No studies were found which r...

2017

This article discusses history of autism diagnosis and provides an update of the latest diagnostic criteria. This is essential before starting any research or intervention for people with autism anywhere in the world, particularly in the Middle East and North African (MENA) region where autism diagnosis and public perception about this condition is challenging. We start by defining autism and its diagnostic criteria according to American Psychiatric Society (DSM-5 2013), including an outline of some characteristics of people with autism and some related terms e.g. the notion of a ‘triad of impairments’, ‘Autistic Spectrum Disorder’ (ASD) and its relationship with ‘learning disabilities/difficulties’. We concluded that the latest diagnostic criteria according to DSM-5 2013 is very helpful in terms of treating autism as spectrum of different abilities and allow for designing a bespoke individualised interventional approaches to help them. As far as autism in the MENA region is concern...

Community Knowledge about Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2022

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Journal of autism and …, 2011

The prevalence of autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) seems to be increased world widely with unknown exact prevalence in the Arab region. The development of early detection tools for diagnosis and screening of these disorders was mandatory to decrease the burden of ASD and to facilitate early interventions. There are great challenges to develop specific tool that respectful to the diversity of Arab region with many obstacles that interfere for early detection.

A Comprehensive Book on Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2011

Objective Autistic disorder, Asperger syndrome, and PDD-Not Otherwise Specified are subsets of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), which are characterized by impairments in social communication and stereotyped behavior. This article reviews the prevalence, etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of ASDs in Iran. Materials & Methods We searched PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and 4 Iranian databases (IranPsych, IranMedex, Irandoc and Scientific Information Database (SID) to find Iranian studies on ASDs. The results of 39 investigations, comprising original, review and editorial articles; proceedings; and available dissertations were categorized by prevalence, etiology, diagnosis, and treatment. Conclusion Several preliminary investigations have been done to evaluate the prevalence of ASDs, and risk factors and effective variables have been studied with regard to etiology. The diagnostic evaluation of ASDs, especially based on EEG, and several pharmacological and behavioral interventions for ASD have been implemented in Iran. Mental health, stress levels, and personality characteristics were examined in the parents of children with ASDs, which were focused on mothers.

Background The prevalence of autism is growing worldwide. Owing to parents being the primary caregivers in most situations, their ability to recognize the signs and symptoms of autism and respond appropriately is of paramount importance in aiming to provide the best healthcare to autistic individuals. This study was conducted with the aim of ascertaining the parent's knowledge and awareness of autism. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among parents residing in Karachi, Pakistan. We excluded any individuals belonging to the medical profession, those who have autistic children, and those who couldn't completely comprehend English and Urdu. A sample size of 339 parents was selected. A validated and pre-tested questionnaire was administered among the study participants to record demographic information, knowledge, and perceptions regarding autism and its signs and symptoms. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 23.0, IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, US). A knowledge score was calculated for opinions about autism and its sign and symptoms individually to reflect a participant's overall knowledge regarding autism. Results From our study population, 75% of our population had heard of autism, with those who knew of someone with the disorder displaying greater awareness. However, our participants displayed poor knowledge scores, with a mean score of 5.59 in the section concerning correct opinions on autism and that of 6.84 in the section testing knowledge of signs and symptoms. Despite this, 95.6% of the participants were willing to get their children treated, in the event of them being diagnosed with autism. Conclusion Unfortunately, our population displayed a lack of awareness and knowledge regarding autism. To fill this gap, awareness programs should be conducted to promote parent's knowledge regarding autism, so as to allow for early diagnoses and an appropriate treatment plan/therapy. On a positive note, most were willing to get their children tested and treated in case of a diagnosis. However, only a small number of participants knew of autism centers in Karachi. General practitioners are needed to play a key role in counseling parents about autism.

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 2011

Background: Autism is a biological disorder with clearly defined phenomenology. Studies from the Middle East on this topic have been particularly rare. Little is known about the influence of culture on clinical features, presentations and management of autism. The current study was done to compare characteristics of autism in two groups of Egyptian as well as Saudi children. Methods: The sample included 48 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. They were recruited from the Okasha

International journal of forensic medicine, 2022

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and the presence of restricted interests and repetitive behaviors. Rising prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the last decades has led research to focus on the diagnosis and identification of factors associated with ASD. This paper sought for possible factors that put children at risk for ASD. In this study, we investigated the association between ASD and child factors in Iraqi people. Aim of the study: To assess the relationship and estimate the effect of child risk factors with the development of autism spectrum disorders among Iraqi children in Salah-addin city. Methods: An observational case-control study involving 180 children (90 autistic children and 90 healthy children), was conducted in salah-addin city through the period (from 15 Nov. 2021 to 20 march 2022), using Arabic language interviewer administered questionnaire through direct interview and the collected data was measured using chi-square and represented by a suitable tables and figures. Results: The study shows that among 90 autistic child 81% (73) children were male in gender and 61% (55) children were diagnosed between (3-6) years of age. The study found that 68.2% (62) children have a positive family history for development of ASD. Conclusions: Most of affected children are male and two third of them diagnosed at ages between (3-6) years. Family history of autism was common among the autistic children.

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal [SQUMJ]

Objectives: This study aimed to provide an updated estimate of the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among Omani children. Methods: This retrospective descriptive study was conducted from December 2011 to December 2018. Data were retrieved from the three main autism diagnostic centres in Oman: Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Royal Hospital and Al-Massarah Hospital. The ASD diagnosis was made by experienced clinicians based on the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The overall population prevalence estimates per 10,000 children aged 0–14 years old in Oman were calculated using the denominator of the mid-period population data. Results: A total of 1,705 ASD cases were identified with the majority of cases being male (78.1%). The overall prevalence rate of ASD was estimated at 20.35 per 10,000 children (95% confidence interval: 19.39–21.32) between 2012–2018. Boys were found to have a 3.4-fold higher prevalence of ASD than ...

Indian Pediatrics, 2017

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a clinically heterogenous condition with a wide range of etiological factors and causing significant public health burden. ASD poses a serious developmental disadvantage to the child in the form of poor schooling, social function and adult productivity. Thus, framing evidence-based national guidelines is a pressing need. The meeting on formulation of national consensus guidelines on neurodevelopmental disorders was organized by Indian Academy of Paediatrics in Mumbai on 18th and 19th December 2015. The invited experts included Pediatricians, Developmental Pediatricians, Psychiatrists, Remedial Educators, Pediatric Neurologists and Clinical Psychologists. The participants framed guidelines after extensive discussions. Thereafter, a committee was established to review the points discussed in the meeting. To provide consensus guidelines on evaluation and management of ASD in children in India. Intervention should begin as early as possible. A definitiv...