RESUMO
Objective:To explore the abnormal sensory manifestations of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).Methods:A total of 269 ASD children with sensory symptoms (ASD toddler group: under 3 years old( n=110), and ASD preschool children: 3-6 years old( n=159)) were investigated by self-made children's sensory abnormality questionnaire, and 175 typically developing(TD) children were compared.SPSS 26.0 software was used for statistical analysis, including descriptive statistics, t test and χ 2 test. Results:The incidence of sensory abnormalities in ASD group was 95.17%, which was higher than that in TD group (78.86%; χ 2=28.224, P<0.001), and the incidence of multiple sensory domain symptoms in ASD group was 84.77%, which was higher than that in TD group (63.77%; χ 2= 22.608, P<0.001). The incidence of sensory symptoms in ASD toddler group was 98.18%, which was not statistically different from that in TD toddler group (92.59%)(χ 2=3.210, P=0.073). The incidence of multiple sensory domain symptoms in ASD toddler group was higher (85.19%), which was statistically different from that in TD toddler group (66.00%)(χ 2=7.613, P=0.006). In the four items of sensory symptoms (auditory hyperresponsiveness, auditory sensory seeking, tactile hyperresponsiveness and tactile sensory seeking), the proportion of moderate to severe of the first three items in ASD group were 66.67%, 72.08% and 61.54%, which were higher than those in TD group (46.81%, 56.36% and 38.46%)(χ 2= 9.652, P=0.002, χ 2= 7.822, P=0.005, χ 2= 4.631, P=0.031), but the proportion of moderate to severe of four items in ASD toddler group were not statistically different from that in TD toddler group at all ( P>0.05). The incidence of functional impairment caused by four items of sensory symptoms in ASD group (68.55%, 65.99%, 63.25% and 48.87%) was higher than those in TD group (45.74%, 28.18%, 26.92% and 27.12%) (χ 2= 12.814, P<0.001; χ 2= 40.456, P<0.001; χ 2= 11.429, P=0.001; χ 2= 7.930, P=0.005). The incidence of functional impairment caused by auditory sensory seeking and tactile hyperresponsiveness in ASD toddler group (57.65% and 55.56%) was higher than that in TD toddler group (31.58% and 0) and the incidence of the other two symptoms in these two groups were not statistically different.There was no statistical difference in the incidence of sensory symptoms between ASD toddler group and ASD preschool group, neither the incidence of multiple sensory domain symptoms ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Sensory abnormalities are common in autistic children, and most of them involve two or more sensory domains. Attention should be paid to the occurrence, quantity, degree and functional impairment of their symptoms.
RESUMO
To investigate the effect of multiple factors, including breast-feeding and modes of birth, on gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 92 children, aged 2 to 10 years, with a diagnosis of ASD by DSM-5 criteria, along with 84 age-matched typical developing (TD) children as control, were enrolled in this study. The six-item gastrointestinal symptom index (6-GSI) was used for symptomatic survey. The self-made questionnaires were used to collect information on dietary preferences, sleep problems and breast-feeding. Results Constipation from 6-GSI was higher in ASD group than in TD group (P＜0.01). Stratified analysis revealed that total GI symptom scores (P=0.030), fecal odor (P=0.028) and abdominal pain (P=0.022) were higher in ASD children born by c-section than ASD children born vaginally whereas only abdominal pain was higher in TD children born by C-section than TD children born vaginally (P=0.016). ASD children with pick eating had higher scores in diarrhea (P=0.048) and abdominal pain (P=0.013) than those without. ASD children with sleep disorders had higher scores in constipation (P=0.008), diarrhea (P=0.020) and fecal odor (P=0.027) than those without. There was also a significant difference in constipation from 6-GSI between mainly breast-fed children and mainly formula-fed children among all subjects (P=0.026). Conclusion ASD children have more severe constipation than TD children. ASD children with pick eating or with sleep disorders tend to have more GI symptoms, including diarrhea, fecal odor, and abdominal pain, while breastfeeding can alleviate these symptoms.