The natural history of infantile autism in a tertiary pediatric public hospital: developments with global developmental delays with full and partial regression

Abstract

Autism is a behavioral severe disorder characterized by a start within 36 months of age, with symptoms in the areas of interpersonal interaction, communication, and behavior. It presents three forms of evolution: always with delay in psychic development, loss of some acquired skill on the basis of a delay in development (partial regression), and full regression. Objective: to research the frequency of each form of evolution. Methods: longitudinal study in a tertiary pediatric public hospital in an outpatient Developmental Disorders Clinic, during 20 months, with the first appointment within 48 months of age. The DSM-IV and the CARS and DSM-IV scales were used as diagnostic criteria; questions were asked about regressions and delays in development or not in the initial development of autism. Results: of the 86 children with clinical signs and positive scales for autism, 74.4% always showed delays in development, 17.4% showed a history of delays in development with some degree of regression, and only 8.1% presented a history of full regression. Conclusion: all children with a history of permanent delay in the milestones of psychic development should have autism as the diagnostic hypothesis.