Hostname: page-component-f554764f5-wjqwx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-11T02:56:44.414Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Prevalence of Autistic Disorder among Children with a Learning Disability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Shoumitro Deb  and
K. B. G. Prasad
Shoumitro Deb*
Affiliation:
University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff
K. B. G. Prasad
Affiliation:
Dryburn Hospital, Durham
*
Dr S. Deb, Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Wales College of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff CF4 4XN
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

It has been suggested recently that the prevalence of autistic disorder may be rising. No prevalence study specifically among learning disabled children exists and so this study was prompted.

Method. 767 children with a learning disability who attended 16 different special schools in the Grampian region of north-east Scotland were studied for a diagnosis of autistic disorder according to the DSM–III–R criteria. The study was conducted in three stages. In the first screening stage, a questionnaire was completed for each child by their teachers. In the second stage, teachers completed another questionnaire based on DSM–III–R criteria for autistic disorder. A final diagnosis was made on the basis of examination and information gathered from the questionnaires.

Results

Questionnaires were completed for 634 (82.7%) children. 14.3% of children with a learning disability fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for autistic disorder. There was a male: female ratio of 3:1. This gave a 9 per 10 000 minimum prevalence of autistic disorder among all school-age children in the Grampian region. There was a higher prevalence of autistic disorder in the cities compared with rural areas. The prevalence did not change with age but increased with decreasing IQ.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 165 , Issue 3 , September 1994 , pp. 395 - 399
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1994 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

American Psychiatric Association (1987) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd edn, revised) (DSM–III–R). Washington, DC: APA.Google Scholar
Bryson, S. E., Clarke, B. S. & Smith, I. M. (1988) First report of a Canadian epidemiological study of autistic syndromes. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 29, 433–446.Google Scholar
Deb, S. & Hunter, D. (1991) Psychopathology of people with mental handicap and epilepsy. British Journal of Psychiatry, 159, 822–834.Google Scholar
Einfeld, S., Molony, H. & Hall, W. (1989) Autism is not associated with the fragile X syndrome. American Journal of Medical Genetics, 34, 187–193.Google Scholar
Oillbero, C., Steffenberg, S. & Schaumann, H. (1991) Is autism more common now than ten years ago? British Journal of Psychiatry, 158, 403–409.Google Scholar
Goldstein, G. I. & Lancy, D. F. (1985) Cognitive development in autistic children. In Cognitive Development in Atypical Children: Progress in Cognitive Development Research (eds Siegel, L. S. & Morrison, F. J.). New York: Springer.Google Scholar
Kanner, L. (1943) Autistic disturbances of affective contact. Nervous Child, 2, 217–250.Google Scholar
Miettinen, O. S. (1985) Theoretical Epidemiology. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Reiss, A. & Freund, L. (1992) Behavioural phenotype of fragile X syndrome: DSM–III–R autistic behaviour in male children. American Journal of Medical Genetics, 43, 35–46.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Steffenburg, S. & Gillberg, C. (1986) Autism and autistic-like conditions in Swedish rural and urban areas: a population study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 149, 81–87.Google Scholar
Wing, L. (1993) The definition and prevalence of autism: a review. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2, 61–74.Google Scholar
Wing, L. & Gould, J. (1979) Severe impairments of social interaction and associated abnormalities in children: Epidemiology and classification. Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia, 9, 11–29.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.