Global Functional Performance and Caregiver Assistance in Autism and Asperger Syndrome

Autism and Asperger’s syndrome belong to a family of neuro-developmental disorders called Pervasive Development Disorders. The aims of this study were to 1) quantify the overall functional performance and need for caregiver assistance in autism (A) and Asperger’s syndrome (AS), 2) compare the findings between groups and to normative data from Brazilian children. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out involving 52 children between three and eight years of age diagnosed with either A (n = 26) or SA (n = 26). The Brazilian version of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory was administered. Results: The children with A and AS achieved significantly lower scores than that expected for normality. The children with AS had a significantly better social function than that the children with A had. However, those with A achieved significantly better scores than those with AS on activities related to self-care and mobility, requiring less assistance. Conclusion: While patients with AS are better at social interaction than typical autistic children, they exhibit greater deficits with regard to basic tasks, such as self-care and mobility, requiring greater assistance than children with A.

Autism spectrum disorder and personality disorders: Comorbidity and differential diagnosis

BACKGROUND Differential diagnosis,comorbidities and overlaps with other psychiatric disorders are common among adults with autism spectrum disorder(ASD),but clinical assessments often omit screening for personality disorders(PD),which are especially common in individuals with high-functioning ASD where there is less need for support.AIM To summarize the research findings on PD in adults with ASD and without intellectual disability,focusing on comorbidity and differential diagnosis.METHODS PubMed searches were performed using the key words“Asperger’s Syndrome”,“Autism”,“Personality”,“Personality disorder”and“comorbidity”in order to identify relevant articles published in English.Grey literature was identified through searching Google Scholar.The literature reviews and reference sections of selected papers were also examined for additional potential studies.The search was restricted to studies published up to April 2020.This review is based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses method.RESULTS The search found 22 studies carried out on ASD adults without intellectual disability that met the inclusion criteria:16 evaluated personality profiles or PD in ASD(comorbidity),five compared ASD and PD(differential diagnosis)and one performed both tasks.There were significant differences in the methodological Cluster A and cluster C PD are the most frequent co-occurring PD,but overlapping features should be considered.Data on differential diagnosis were only found with cluster A and cluster B PD.CONCLUSION ASD in high-functioning adults is associated with a distinct personality profile even if variability exists.Further studies are needed to explore the complex relationship between ASD and PD.