Pediatria pre prax 4/2016

Autism and autism spectrum disorders from the perspective of child psychiatrist

It is the role of a pediatrician to early identify any deviations in the development of cognitive, communication, motor, social skills of a child, and its abilities to regulate emotions and behavior. Abnormalities in this sence may predict, apart from other psychiatric disorders, also possible autism. In practice, it is important to point out that etiologically heterogeneous substrate of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) includes a number of genetic, metabolic and neurological disorders. Therefore, it is an integral part of a diagnostic procedure to perform genetic testing and metabolic screening. Autism disorders are often acompanied with other psychiatric comorbidities. Further diagnostic and therapeutic interventions require interdisciplinary approach.

Keywords: early diagnosis of developmental disorders, autism, comorbidity, symptomatic treatment