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Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, in which medical disorders are known to occur higher than in the general paediatric population. This may indicate either that the neurodevelopmental disorder is acting as a risk factor or sharing a common pathophysiological mechanism with the medical disorder. We could not access any publications focusing on medical comorbidities in autism from Sri Lanka. Objective:To compare the prevalence and types of medical comorbidities between children with ASD and outpatient controls presenting to a children's hospital in Sri Lanka. Method:This was an observational analytical study using a case control design. Seventy three consecutive new enrolments diagnosed as ASD at the child psychiatric services of Lady Ridgeway Hospital were recruited to the study group. An age and gender matched group of children presenting to the outpatient department with minor physical problems were recruited as the comparison group. The presence of a medical disorder was determined retrospectively by perusal of medical records. Results:The prevalence of febrile seizures, epilepsy, bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis and recurrent gastrointestinal symptoms in the child were higher in the ASD group compared to the control group. The differences of the rates between groups for bronchial asthma and recurrent gastrointestinal symptoms were statistically significant. Also, pregnancy induced hypertension _________________________________________

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Introduction: Transient tics are common in children. In persistent motor tic disorders, single or multiple motor tics persist for more than a year.Objective: To determine the one year outcome of persistent motor tic disorder treated with risperidone in a group of Sri Lankan children.

Mental health needs, children, adolescents, child care institutions, Sri Lanka) Background The number of children placed in institutional settings around the world is rapidly increasing due to factors like poverty, war, violence and substance use 1. Bringing up children in childcare institutions can deleteriously affect their development due to profound deprivation of sensory, linguistic, cognitive, emotional and psycho-social stimulation 1. According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) report in 2009, up to eight million children are in institutions worldwide 2. However true figures may be higher due to gaps in global statistics and unregistered children's homes 3. Reasons for institutionalization Poverty is one main reason for institutionalizing children in most countries 4. Children with learning and physical disabilities are at higher risk of institutionalization due to limited support services 5. This risk is further increased by social stigma and negative attitudes towards disabled children 6. In some countries disabled children are considered unlucky or cursed 6 and people are encouraged to keep them away from home 7. In an Indian study, 90% of 11 million abandoned children were girls, showing how gender discrimination can affect institutionalization 3. Child abuse and neglect are also major risk factors worldwide 2. Multiple reasons lead to enrolling children in residential care settings in Sri Lanka. Some of these are economic hardship, physical or mental illness, disabilities, inability to provide education, domestic violence, labour migration and second marriages 8 .

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Conclusion Comorbidities are common in childhood OCD, and all children with OCD should be screened for comorbidities.