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Autism and developmental delay

A comparative clinical study in very young children using IBSE scale

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Abstract

Objective

This study improves the knowledge of early autistic symptomatology and research concerning (i) the significant differences in the behaviors of children with autistic disorder (AD) and children with a developmental delay (DD), and (ii) the influence of the cognitive delay on symptomatology.

Method

Two groups of 20 young children (7–42 months) were compared: children with AD, and those with DD. The groups were paired by chronological and developmental age. The comparison was extended to four subgroups composed according to age (younger and older children—<24 months, >24 months) and to the global development quotient (GDQ) (the more and less delayed). Each child was evaluated with the Infant Behavior Summarized Evaluation scale (IBSE).

Results

For the younger AD children, significant differences affected social communication and their adaptation to the environment (intolerance to frustration, resistance to change). For the older children (>24 months), this study showed the rapid progression of the number of distinctive signs between AD and DD children according to age and/or developmental level.

Conclusions

Cognitive delay has an important influence on the symptomatology at the moment of initial recognition of an autistic syndrome. This study is a complement for the fuller understanding of the nature and early diagnosis of disorders specific to autism at the earliest phases of development.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Medical Research Foundation, INSERM Unit 316, and Recherche Clinique Hospitalière (Pr. D. SAUVAGE). We thank the INSERM team for their assistance and J. Diamond for reviewing the English edition.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unité de Psychopathologie de l’Enfant et de l’Adolescent Dépt. de Pédiatrie, Hôpital Edouard Herriot, Place d’Arsonval, 69437, Lyon Cedex 03, France

    Hugues Desombre & Régis de Villard

  2. Université Claude Bernard – CHS Le Vinatier, Equipe d’accueil 3092, CHS Le Vinatier, Bron, France

    Hugues Desombre & Jean Dalery

  3. Service Universitaire de Pédopsychiatrie, Hôpital Bretonneau Centre Hospitalier Régional et Universitaire, Tours, France

    Joelle Malvy, Dominique Sauvage & Pascal Lenoir

  4. Service Universitaire d’Explorations Fonctionnelles et de Neurophysiologie en Pédopsychiatrie, Hôpital Bretonneau Centre Hospitalier Régional et Universitaire, Tours, France

    Sylvie Roux

Authors
  1. Hugues Desombre
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  2. Joelle Malvy
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  3. Sylvie Roux
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  4. Régis de Villard
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  5. Dominique Sauvage
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  6. Jean Dalery
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  7. Pascal Lenoir
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Correspondence to Hugues Desombre.

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Desombre, H., Malvy, J., Roux, S. et al. Autism and developmental delay. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 15, 343–351 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-006-0540-9

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