Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and its association with medical issues and behaviour problems among Children with Intellectual Disability (ID)

ABSTRACT

Background: The presence or absence of Intellectual Disability(ID) has been recognized as one of the strongest determinant of outcomes for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD). Behavioural problems which are commonly reported in autism may be related to core features of autism, comorbid diagnoses or symptoms . There is paucity of Indian studies on prevalence of ASD among children diagnosed with ID and also the prevalence of behaviour problems in this population. This study was conducted with the objectives to assess the prevalence of ASD in the intellectually disabled, as well as the associated comorbidity patterns. Methodology: It was a cross sectional study including 122 children with mild/moderate Intellectual Disability between 6 to 18 years. Indian Scale for Assessment of Autism(ISAA), Behaviour Problems Inventory(BPI) was administered and questions were asked to know medical symptoms. Results: Prevalence of co-morbid ASD in children with ID was with 16.39%. Children with ASD had higher behavioural problems (p=0.001), higher medical complaints like GI symptoms (constipation p=0.001, bloating p=0.03, abdominal pain p=0.03) and seizure (p=0.002). Behaviour problems were higher in children with more severe autism scores. Conclusion: There is a notable prevalence of ASD in children with ID. These children tend to have higher behavioural problems and co-morbid medical issues which needs clinical attention for better overall management of these children.