The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for self-injurious behaviours (SIBs) in children with autistic disorders. The occurrence of SIB was examined in comparison with the following variables: chronological age, sex, adaptive skills, speech level, associated medical condition, degree of autism and parental social class. The subjects were 222 children aged under 7 years and all of them fulfilled the ICD-10 criteria for infantile autism. Retrospective data were collected on demographic characteristics and medical condition. Children were assessed in terms of speech, degree of autism and adaptive skills in communication, socialization and daily living skills domains. Results indicated that 50% of the children experienced SIB and 14.6% had severe SIBs. Lower chronological age, associated perinatal condition, a higher degree of autism and a higher daily living skills delay were risk factors of SIBs but parental class, sex and epilepsy were not.

This study examines change in 152 children over an almost 10-year period (T1: 4.9 (± 1.3) years; T2: 8.1 (± 1.3) years; T3: 15(± 1.6) years) using a group-based, semi-parametric method in order to identify distinct developmental trajectories. Important deficits remain at adolescence in the adaptive abilities of children with Autism spectrum disorders, but changes in adaptive skills show two distinct growth rates. The univariate analysis reveals that low growth trajectories for both social and communication outcome are associated with the following characteristics at age 5: low cognitive and language skills, presence of epilepsy, and severity of autism. The multivariate analysis confirms that risk factors at age 5, were low language and severity of autism for both social and communication outcomes 10 years later, and that hours of early intervention was protective factor for communication.

Aim To explore the factors related to the outcome of self-injurious behaviour (SIB) in children with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). Method Children with PDD were assessed on individual and environmental variables at time 1 and 3 years later. A questionnaire about the presence or absence of SIB was also administered at both times in order to examine the early course of SIB. Results Our findings suggest an association between a negative outcome and several aspects of the children's behaviour. Children with a negative outcome differed from the others in having greater speech impairment, more cognitive and adaptive deficits, and more severe signs of autism. When these variables were entered into a multivariate model for predicting the outcome of SIB, only speech deficits (OR a 3.5, CI 95% 1.13-13.4) and autism severity (OR a 1.1, CI 95% 1.03-1.18) were significant risk factors. Discussion The importance of these findings for improving our understanding of SIB is discussed.

Autism is now thought to be present right from birth. Although usually not officially diagnosed until after the child's second birthday, parents often report disturbances before then. The age of detection of disturbances varies and may be linked to differences in the severity of the autism and its associated retardation. This study evaluates the developmental characteristics of 193 children with pervasive developmental disorder, using the same standard procedures for all subjects. Our goal was to determine the relationship between age of parental recognition of disturbances and disorder severity. The results indicated mainly a link between early abnormalities, associated medical condition and severity measured on cognitive tests. They suggest systematic screening for signs of autism in very young children.