Simil-Autistic Symptoms in Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Michele Zappella
Recent studies have shown the presence of simil-autistic symptoms in many neurodevelopmental disorders, including attachment disorders, social phobia, anxiety, depression, Tourette syndrome, social communication disorder, language disorders, and precocious and severe social deprivation in orphanages. This study is based on an evaluation of 127 children who had previously been diagnosed as autistic but, following a change in diagnosis and a new therapeutic approach, lost all autistic traits and were able in some cases to reach brilliant levels of ability. In 81% of the cases, the new diagnosis was early onset Tourette syndrome with regression. Subsequently, in most of them a phonological delay was present and, in a minority, persistent verbal dyspraxia. In the remaining 19% there were other diagnoses, including social anxiety and elective mutism. These data suggest that cases so far labelled as autism with regression may include syndromes of another nature, requiring a different therapeutic approach. The professional modalities of dealing with children and their families in diagnosis may be profoundly different and their possible effect on the results of a diagnostic process are discussed.
Keywords
Autistic-like symptoms, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Tourette syndrome.
