Abstract
BackgroundLateness in the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) results in significant disability and pressure on affected children and their families. We aimed to detect the preschool children who have high-risk criteria for ASD in Sharkia Governorate in Egypt and assess the prevalence and risk factors of ASD. A cross-sectional community-based study was done in 39 kindergartens throughout Sharkia Governorate, Egypt, using a multi-stage random sampling technique. The study included two phases, the screening phase, where 3722 preschool children were screened by Modified Check List for Toddlers/Revised (M-CHAT-R), and the diagnostic phase where the diagnosis of ASD among the high-risk children was made according to the research diagnostic criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th edition (DSM-5) of ASD administrated by experienced psychiatrists and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS).ResultsThis study showed that 2.8% of children were at high risk for ASD. The prevalence of ASD in Sharkia Governorate was 5.4/1000. The significant risk factors for the disorder were the presence of factories near the house, first and middle child order, congenital anomalies, child medication during the first year of life, child chronic medical condition, child attachment to TV, a medical condition affecting mother during pregnancy, and psychiatric disorders history in the family.ConclusionAutism spectrum disorder is prevalent in preschool children in Sharkia, Egypt, and multiple risk factors contribute to this prevalence.
Highlights
Lateness in the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) results in significant disability and pressure on affected children and their families
The researcher included four experienced psychiatrists who assessed one hundred four participants (2.8%) who were high risk for ASD using the research diagnostic criteria of DSM-5 and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) questionnaire, which showed that 20 children (19.2%) diagnosed with ASD and 84 (80.8%) were non-autistic
Our results showed that 2.8% of children assessed using M-CHAT-R during the screening phase were at high risk for ASD, which is in line with the crosssectional descriptive study of Moussa S and his colleagues, who found that 2% of children showed an increased risk for ASD [13]
Summary
Lateness in the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) results in significant disability and pressure on affected children and their families. We aimed to detect the preschool children who have high-risk criteria for ASD in Sharkia Governorate in Egypt and assess the prevalence and risk factors of ASD. The study included two phases, the screening phase, where 3722 preschool children were screened by Modified Check List for Toddlers/Revised (M-CHAT-R), and the diagnostic phase where the diagnosis of ASD among the high-risk children was made according to the research diagnostic criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th edition (DSM-5) of ASD administrated by experienced psychiatrists and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). ASD influences numerous parts of family life, not just prompting physical and psychological impairment of parents, creating significant unemployment and monetary problems [3]
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