CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISTIC SPECTRUM DISORDER WITH ASSOCIATED COMORBIDITIES, KSA

Background: Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts children’s communication, as well as their ability to perform socially. A recent surge in the number of patients diagnosed with ASD spurred concern for physicians, policy makers and patents alike.Yet, there are few articles focusing on addressing the current characteristics of ASD children in Saudi Arabia. Rationale: Assessing the status quo of children of ASD and suggest improvement measures to be taken by stakeholders, policy makers and physicians. Allowing an opportunity to tailor high-quality interventions to our population. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study from first of June 2019 through the end of January 2020, involving Saudi Arabian children diagnosed with ASD following at the Division of Developmental Pediatricsat King Saud medical city. Using a questionnaire formate to collect age, gender, age at time of diagnosis, psychiatric comorbidities, details of school affiliation, severity of ASD in terms of verbal vs. nonverbal, socioeconomic status, housing environment, total family members and the total income of the household with descriptive analysis. Results: The most common associated comorbidity in children with ASD was ADHD in 74% of our population. Notably, the median age of ASD diagnosis remains advanced at 3 years of age. Further educational programs to primary health care practitioners for early detection and public awareness programs are needed.