Autistic spectrum disorders in Mobius sequence: a comprehensive study of 25 individuals

The prevalence of autistic disorder was analysed in 25 individuals with Mob ius sequence, a disorder with brain-stem dysfunction, The sample consisted of 18 males and seven females (20 participants were aged 2 to 22 years, and five were aged 1, 19 and 23 months, and 55 years old). Participants were r ecruited after a nationwide call and were part of a multidisciplinary study of individuals with Mobius sequence. They were given a meticulous neuropsy chiatric examination including standardized autism diagnostic interviews. T en individuals had an autistic spectrum disorder. Six of these met all diag nostic criteria for autism. In 23 individuals cognitive development could b e assessed. Eight of those 23 patients had clear learning disability and si x individuals were functioning in the normal but subaverage range. Autistic spectrum disorder and learning disability occurred in more than a third of the examined patients. Considering the hospital-based nature of the sample , these findings may be overestimates. Nevertheless, awareness of this coex istence is important in the diagnosis and habilitation care of children wit h Mobius sequence. Moreover, the results provide further support for the no tion of a subgroup of autistic spectrum disorders being caused by first tri mester brain-stem damage.