Minor Neurological Dysfunction in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autor/inn/en	de Jong, Marianne; Punt, Marja; de Groot, Erik; Minderaa, Ruud B; Hadders-Algra, Mijna
Titel	Minor Neurological Dysfunction in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Quelle	In: Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 53 (2011) 7, S.641-646 (6 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0012-1622
DOI	10.1111/j.1469-8749.2011.03971.x
Schlagwörter	Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Autism; Cerebral Palsy; Congenital Impairments; Pathology; Foreign Countries; Brain; Neurological Impairments; Referral; Psychiatry; Medical Evaluation; Severity (of Disability); Human Posture; Muscular Strength; Psychomotor Skills; Netherlands + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Autismus; Hirnlähmung; Pathologie; Ausland; Gehirn; Neurodegenerative Erkrankung; Psychiatrie; Schweregrad; Posture; Körperhaltung; Muskelkraft; Psychomotorische Aktivität; Niederlande
Abstract	Aim: The aim of this study was to improve the understanding of brain function in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in relation to minor neurological dysfunctions (MNDs). Method: We studied MNDs in 122 children (93 males, 29 females; mean age 8y 1mo, SD 2y 6mo) who, among a total cohort of 705 children (513 males, 192 females; mean age 9y, SD 2y 0.5mo) referred to a regional outpatient non-academic psychiatric centre in the Netherlands, were diagnosed with ASD after an extensive multidisciplinary psychiatric assessment. Children with clear neurological abnormalities (e.g. cerebral palsy or spina bifida) were excluded from the study. MNDs were assessed in all 705 children using the Touwen examination method. Special attention was paid to the severity and type of MND. Data of the children with ASD were compared with neurological morbidity data of children with other psychiatric disorders and with children in the general population, who were born at Groningen University Hospital between 1975 and 1978. Results: Seventy-four percent of the children with ASD showed complex MNDs compared with 52% of the children with other psychiatric disorders and 6% of the reference group (chi[superscript 2] = 18.0, p less than 0.001; chi[superscript 2] = 937.5, p less than 0.001 respectively). Specific dysfunctions frequently encountered in ASD were dysfunctional posture and muscle tone, fine manipulative disability, dyscoordination, and excessive associated movements. Conclusion: These findings suggest a contribution of dysfunctional supraspinal networks involving multiple parts of the brain in the pathogenesis of ASD. This is consistent with findings from neuroimaging studies, and highlights the importance of neurological examinations in paediatric psychiatric assessments. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Wiley-Blackwell. 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770; Tel: 781-388-8598; Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10