Pervasive developmental disorders in preschool children.

Context: Prevalence rates of autism-spectrum disorders are uncertain, and speculation that their incidence is increasing continues to cause concern.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) in a geographically defined population of preschool children.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Survey conducted July 1998 to June 1999 in Staffordshire, England.

A case-control study of autism and mumps-measles-rubella vaccination using the general practice research database: design and methodology.

Background: An association between mumps-measles-rubella (MMR) vaccination and the onset of symptoms typical of autism has recently been suggested. This has led to considerable concern about the safety of the vaccine.

Methods: A matched case-control study using data derived form the United Kingdom General Practice Research Database.

Depressive conduct disorder: symptom patterns and correlates in referred children and adolescents.

Background: In order to examine the validity of the ICD-10 diagnostic category of depressive conduct disorder (DCD), a sample of 58 patients (mean age 11.6) with this diagnosis consecutively referred to a teaching hospital was compared with 151 patients with conduct disorder (CD) (mean age 12.3) and with 128 patients with depressive disorder (DD) (mean age 14.

Personality traits of the relatives of autistic probands.

Background: There is substantial evidence that the genetic liability to autism confers a risk for a range of more subtle social and communication impairments, as well as stereotyped and repetitive behaviours. Recent research suggests that increased expression of particular personality traits may be a manifestation of the liability to autism.

Methods: To investigate this we examined the personality traits of the adult relatives of 99 autistic and 36 Down's syndrome probands, using the informant version of the Modified Personality Assessment Schedule.

Very early onset seasonal affective disorder: a case study.

A four year old boy was referred from Scotland, with a seasonal pattern of depressive symptoms dating back to infancy and meeting criteria for Major Depressive Disorder with Seasonal Pattern by the age of three years. There was consistency in reports between informants and across contexts and significant improvement with light therapy.

Psychological adjustment in a french cohort of type 1 diabetic children. PEDIAB Collaborative Group.

The aim of the study was to determine whether IDDM affects the course of psychological adjustment in youths. The study sample included 164 children with IDDM (mean age=10.2) and their parents compared to 164 healthy controls matched for age, sex and socioeconomic status.

The epidemiology of autism: a review.

Background: There is some uncertainty about the rate and correlates of autism.

Method: Twenty-three epidemiological surveys of autism published in the English language between 1966 and 1998 were reviewed.

Results: Over 4 million subjects were surveyed; 1533 subjects with autism were identified.

Psychopathology in adopted and nonadopted children: a clinical sample.

The relationships of adoptive status to presenting psychopathology and to demographic and psychosocial variables were examined in a large sample of children and adolescents who attended psychiatric outpatient services over a 14-year period. Adopted boys and girls were both at increased risk of disruptive behavior, including conduct disorders and ADHD. Age at time of adoption was not related to psychopathology.

[Developmental psychopathology. Basic science for child and adolescent psychiatry and psychiatry].

Although the developmental perspective is not new, developmental psychopathology has only recently become an interdisciplinary and integrative field of research for the understanding of normal and pathological development as well. There have been new findings during the past two decades in several areas: the individual and sex differences of certain disorders, continuity and change of behavior, risk factors and protective factors as well as turning points in development. Also, the current classification systems include the developmental perspective on a special axis devoted to developmental disorders.

Microcephaly and macrocephaly in autism.

Data from a series of 126 autistic children ages 2-16 years and referred to an Autism Diagnosis Unit in South-West France were examined. Macrocephaly (head circumference > 97th centile) was observed in 16.7% of the sample, a significantly higher proportion than that expected.

Neurodevelopmental antecedents of early-onset bipolar affective disorder.

Background: Developmental impairments have been identified as a risk factor for early-onset schizophrenia. Affective symptoms are more common in children and adolescents with disordered neurodevelopmental than in healthy controls.

Aims: To test the hypothesis that severe early-onset mood disorders are associated with developmental antecedents.

Tricyclic antidepressants in adolescent depression. A case report.

A boy aged 11 years 11 months, with normal premorbid personality, presented with a severe depressive episode with somatic and psychotic features. A clinical response to amitriptyline was complicated by ECG changes leading to the abrupt withdrawal of amitriptyline, with the development of a withdrawal syndrome. Further trials of antidepressant medication were unsuccessful, including paroxetine (clinical deterioration), lofepramine (ECG changes and clinical deterioration), and trazodone (priapism).

Parental recognition of developmental abnormalities in autism.

In order to identify factors associated with the early detection and referral of children with pervasive developmental disorders, a sample of 82 consecutive referrals to an outpatient diagnostic service was studied. All children were thoroughly assessed with the Autism Diagnostic Interview (ADI), standardized psychological tests and direct observations. Data from the ADI on the first symptoms to arouse parental concern and on the first professional advice sought were analyzed.

The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales: supplementary norms for individuals with autism.

Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales Special Population norms are presented for four groups of individuals with autism: (a) mute children under 10 years of age; (b) children with at least some verbal skills under 10 years of age; (c) mute individuals who are 10 years of age or older; and (d) individuals with at least some verbal skills who are 10 years of age or older. The sample included 684 autistic individuals ascertained from cases referred for the DSM-IV autism/PDD field trial collaborative study and five university sites with expertise in autism. Young children had higher standard scores than older individuals across all Vineland domains.

An adoption study of depressive symptoms in middle childhood.

Several twin studies of children and adolescents have found significant heritability of depressive symptoms. In contrast, the sole adoption study of biologically related and biologically unrelated adopted siblings found no evidence for genetic influence. The present study attempts to confirm these results in middle childhood using two adoption designs.

Diagnosing autism: analyses of data from the Autism Diagnostic Interview.

Results from ROC curves of items from two scales, the Autism Diagnostic Interview (ADI) and Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), operationalizing DSM-IV criteria for autism are presented for 319 autistic and 113 other subjects from 8 international autism centers. Analyses indicate that multiple items were necessary to attain adequate sensitivity and specificity if samples with varying levels of language were considered separately. Although considering only current behavior was generally sufficient when a combination cutoff and additive model was employed, predictive power was highest when history was taken into account.

Autism and associated medical disorders in a French epidemiological survey.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of autism, to assess the strength of its association with specific medical disorders, and to test for a secular increase in its incidence.

Method: An epidemiological survey was conducted among 325,347 French children born between 1976 and 1985 and living in three different French départements. Diagnosis, educational level, and associated medical conditions were abstracted from the records of children known to local educational authorities.