A girl from Pakistan with atypical autism: Expert opinion and a therapeutic recommendation

Abstract

Background: Autism disorders which are also known pervasive developmental disorders as are very complex and heterogeneous group of chronic disorders that marked by early impairment in socialization, communication, and behavior. Atypical autism associated with severe mental retardation is more likely to be associated with significant hyperactivity and behavioral abnormalities, and thus this association intensifies the therapeutic challenge of autism disorders. Patients and methods: The case of a girl with atypical autism disorder associated with cognitive impairment is described, and expert opinion is presented. Results: Early during October, 2022, the mother of 4 years and 10 months girl consulted us about the possible therapies for her girl who had the two major diagnostic features of autism (Poor response to own name and very poor eye contact. The girl was not interacting with anyone, and her speech was not developed. She also had repetitive movements mostly in the form of moving back and forth walk and some tapping of fingers with each other. Her motor development was acceptable, but she had poor understanding of commands and poor adaptive behaviors. The girl in this paper received the diagnosis of atypical autism with mental retardation, and was initially treated based on our extensive published experiences with treatment of autism disorders associated with cognitive impairment. Conclusion: The current expert opinion suggests treatment of children with atypical autism associated with mental retardation represents a therapeutic challenge and demands the judicious uses of several therapies including intramuscular cerebrolysin, piracetam, neuroleptics, The addition of baclofen has been suggested in the treatment of atypical associated with marked hyperactivity.