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Clinical practice

The medical care of children with autism

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Abstract

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has increased considerably in the past decades. The primary care paediatrician plays an important role not only in the early recognition of ASD but also in its chronic management. Paediatricians need to be comfortable with the global care of children with ASD. The diagnostic assessment of children with ASD comprises the medical investigations to identify associated or underlying medical conditions. The most important associated conditions are seizures, feeding and gastrointestinal problems, sleep disturbances and dental abnormalities. The care of ASD patients is very demanding since along with the purely medical issues there are challenging behavioural and psychiatric conditions that need consideration and professional skills.

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Abbreviations

ADHD:

Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder

ASD:

Autism spectrum disorder

CAM:

Complementary and alternative medical treatments

CGH:

Comparative genomic hybridisation

CNV:

Copy number variation

EEG:

Electroencephalogram

GI:

Gastrointestinal

GERD:

Gastro oesophageal reflux disorder

FXS:

Fragile X syndrome

FMR1-gene:

Fragile X mental retardation-1 gene

TSC:

Tuberous sclerosis complex

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Developmental Disabilities, Expertise Centre for Autism, UZ Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    Hilde Olivié

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  1. Hilde Olivié
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Correspondence to Hilde Olivié.

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Olivié, H. Clinical practice. Eur J Pediatr 171, 741–749 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-011-1669-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-011-1669-1

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