Clinical features and comorbidities of Asperger syndrome in children / 中国当代儿科杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate and summarize the clinical features and comorbidities of Asperger syndrome (AS) in children and to provide a theoretical basis for improving the understanding and diagnosis of AS.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Inquiry of medical history, physical examination, behavioral observation, psychiatric examination, questionnaire survey, and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale were used to summarize and analyse the clinical data of 95 children with AS, including chief complaint, symptoms, perinatal and familial conditions, family genetic history, and common comorbidities.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>AS was more common in male children, with hyperactivity, inattention, and social withdrawal as frequent chief complaints. The main clinical manifestations included poor communication skills (95%), restricted interest (82%), repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior (77%), semantic comprehension deficit (74%), and indiscipline (68%). Verbal IQ was higher than performance IQ in most patients. The comorbidities of AS included attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (39%), emotional disorder (18%), and schizophrenia (2%); emotional disorder was more common in patients aged 13-16 years, while ADHD was more common in patients aged 7-16 years. Among these patients, 61% had fathers with introverted personality, 43% had mothers with introverted personality, and 19% had a family history of mental illness.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>AS has specific clinical manifestations. It is essential to know more about the clinical features and comorbidities of AS, which is helpful for early identification and diagnosis of AS.</p>