PREVALENCE OF PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN IN CHIANG MAI

ABSTRACT

Objective  The prevalence of pervasive developmental disorders has been reported as increasing. The purpose of the study was to estimate the prevalence of pervasive developmental disorders in preschool children in Chiang Mai. Methods A randomized sample of 1,150 preschool children aged 2-6 years from 6 kindergarten schools in Chiang Mai were enrolled into the study. The study duration was from 1 August 2002 to 30 June 2003. The Pervasive Developmental Disorders Screening Questionnaires were sent to parents through schoolteachers. Children with a score of 13 or higher were contacted and assessed by a developmental pediatrician. The assessment included medical and developmental history, physical examination, behavioral functioning, and developmental assessment.Results Eight hundred and forty of 1,150 questionnaires (73%) were returned to the researchers, of which 618 were available for analysis (54%). Ten children with a score of 13 or higher were contacted for further evaluation, of which 2 were diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified. The prevalence of pervasive developmental disorders was estimated to be at least 2 cases per 618 or approximately 3.2 (95% confidence interval, 0.3-11.6) per 1,000 children. Conclusions The prevalence of pervasive developmental disorders in this study wasrather high when compared to previous reports in the literature, but it was consistent withrecent studies in the United States and  Europe. Chiang Mai Med Bull 2005;44(1)29-34.