RESUMO
Childhood autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been regarded as one of the most stable diagnostic categories applied to young children with psychiatric/developmental disorders. The stability over time of a diagnosis of ASD is theoretically interesting and important for various diagnostic and clinical reasons. We studied the diagnostic stability of ASD from childhood to early adulthood in the Faroe Islands: a total school age population sample (8-17-year-olds) was screened and diagnostically assessed for AD in 2002 and 2009. This paper compares both independent clinical diagnosis and Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO) algorithm diagnosis at two time points, separated by seven years. The stability of clinical ASD diagnosis was perfect for AD, good for "atypical autism"/PDD-NOS, and less than perfect for Asperger syndrome (AS). Stability of the DISCO algorithm subcategory diagnoses was more variable but still good for AD. Both systems showed excellent stability over the seven-year period for "any ASD" diagnosis, although a number of clear cases had been missed at the original screening in 2002. The findings support the notion that subcategories of ASD should be collapsed into one overarching diagnostic entity with subgrouping achieved on other "non-autism" variables, such as IQ and language levels and overall adaptive functioning.
Assuntos
Algoritmos , Síndrome de Asperger/diagnóstico , Transtorno Autístico/diagnóstico , Adolescente , Adulto , Síndrome de Asperger/epidemiologia , Transtorno Autístico/epidemiologia , Criança , Dinamarca , Manual Diagnóstico e Estatístico de Transtornos Mentais , Feminino , Seguimentos , Humanos , Entrevista Psicológica , Masculino , Prevalência , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Adulto JovemRESUMO
We have followed up a 2002 population study of autism prevalence in 15-24-year olds in the Faroe Islands. The rate of ASD grew significantly from 0.56% in 2002 to 0.94% in 2009. Although these results are within the range of typical findings from other studies, there were some interesting details. There were-in addition to 43 originally diagnosed cases in 2002-24 newly discovered cases in 2009 and nearly half of them were females. It is possible that unfamiliarity with the clinical presentation of autism in females have played a significant role in this context. There was diagnostic stability for the overall category of ASD over time in the group diagnosed in childhood (7-16) years, but considerable variability as regards diagnostic sub-groupings.
Assuntos
Transtorno Autístico/epidemiologia , Adolescente , Transtorno Autístico/diagnóstico , Criança , Dinamarca/epidemiologia , Feminino , Humanos , Incidência , Estudos Longitudinais , Masculino , Testes Neuropsicológicos , Prevalência , Estudos Prospectivos , Escalas de Graduação Psiquiátrica , Adulto JovemRESUMO
The Faroe Islands are considered to be a genetic isolate. This population study of the prevalence of autism sought to identify a representative cohort for future genetic studies. In 2002 all schools were screened for autism spectrum disorders. The target population were all children born in 1985 through 1994 and living in the Faroe Islands on December 31, 2002. Children who screened positive for autism characteristics were examined using the Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO). Of the children aged 8 through 17 years, 0.56% had childhood autism, Asperger syndrome or atypical autism. The male:female ratio was just under 6:1. The prevalence of autism in the Faroe Islands was very similar to that reported from many western countries.
