ABSTRACT
Autism is one of the five disorders that falls under the umbrella of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a category of neurological disorders characterized by “severe and pervasive impairment in several areas of development.” ASD is characterized by varying degrees of impairment in communication skills, social interaction and restricted, repetitive stereotyped patterns of behavior. The five disorders under PDD are autistic disorder, Asperger's disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, Rett's disorder and PDD-not otherwise specified. ASD can often be reliably detected by the age of 3 years and, in some cases, as early as 18 months. The appearance of any warning signs of ASD is reason to have the child evaluated by a professional specializing in these disorders.
Subject(s)
Asperger Syndrome/diagnosis , Asperger Syndrome/genetics , Autistic Disorder/epidemiology , Autistic Disorder/genetics , Child, Preschool , Child Development Disorders, Pervasive/epidemiology , Child Development Disorders, Pervasive/genetics , Female , Humans , Infant , Intellectual Disability/diagnosis , Intellectual Disability/genetics , Male , Rett Syndrome/diagnosis , Rett Syndrome/geneticsABSTRACT
She was brought to our Institute at the age of 31, with speech delay and mental handicap. She was assessed by the multidisciplinary team in the institute to determine the cause of her problems. Clinical evaluation revealed dysmorphic facial features, microbrachycephaly, camptodactyly, clinodactyly, abnormal dermatoglyphics and severe mental handicap. Cardiovascular system examination was normal. Chromosomal analysis revealed a trisomy of Chromosome 18. The phenotype of trisomy 18 and the rarity of prolonged survival in this case are discussed.