Autism in visually impaired individuals

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence and associated risk factors of autism in a sample of visually impaired children and adolescents. A total of 257 blind children and adolescents (age range: 7-18 years) were examined for autism using a three-stage process. The first stage estimated probable cases of autistic disorder based on the Autism Behavior Checklist and the second stage by direct observation of the subjects in different settings. In the third stage, subjects with the probable diagnosis of autistic disorder were asked to undergo psychiatric examination. A final diagnosis of autistic disorder (based on the criteria in DSM-IV) was given after interviewing the caregivers and clinical observation. Thirty of 257 subjects met the criteria for autistic disorder.Comparison of the characteristics of the two groups (autistic and non-autistic) with χ 2 -squared and independent sample t-tests revealed a statistically significant difference in terms of severity of blindness (P = 0.015), cerebral palsy (P = 0.02) and intellectual level (P = 0.001). The results of the present study suggest that subjects with blindness plus autism have greater neurological impairment (as suggested by the presence of lower intellectual level and cerebral palsy), and more severe visual impairment than the subjects with blindness only.

Autism and Visual Impairment: a Review of the Literature

“…Of the seven studies, one cross-sectional study explored the range of medical disorders in people with autism (Kielinen et al 2004), five studies screened ASD participants for the presence of ophthalmic conditions (Black et al 2013;Ezegwui et al 2014;Kabatas et al 2015;Ikeda et al 2013;Milne et al 2009) while one further study alternated the perspective to examine a visually impaired cohort for ASD (Mukaddes et al 2007). Table 2 details the participant demographics, study design and findings from the studies included in the review.…”

“…The evidence relating to the prevalence of sight loss in people with ASD since 2000 is limited to seven studies (Black et al 2013;Ezegwui et al 2014;Ikeda et al 2013;Kabatas et al 2015;Kielinen et al 2004;Milne et al 2009;Mukaddes et al 2007). Table 1 details the quality of the evidence based on the criteria proposed in the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies (Thomas et al 2004).…”

“…Sample size varied across the studies; of the six screening studies, four included large samples which were, respectively, 324 (Kabatas et al 2015), 257 (Mukaddes et al 2007), 187 (Kielinen et al 2004), and 154 (Ikeda et al 2013). Three were smaller scale studies; Milne et al (2009) had 51 participants.…”

“…The study by Mukaddes et al (2007) was 70% male, Milne et al (2009) had 86% male participants in the ASD group, Ikeda et al (2013) had 79% males, Black et al (2013) had 75% male subjects, Ezegwui et al (2014), a 72% male sample, and the sample in Kabatas et al (2015) was 82% male. Kielinen et al (2004) did not specify gender division.…”

Visual acuity in children with autism spectrum disorder

“…However, this association is not very clear. 10,11 Also in 2007, an investigation was carried out into speech audiovisual integration deficit and lip-reading in individuals with autism, how this may contribute to difficulties of speech, and its possible relationship with retarded early speech development. 12 In 2008, a study determined that people with autism tend to have abnormal electroretinograms, deficient evoked visual potentials, and atypical opticokinetic nystagmus, besides a higher than expected incidence of strabismus and oculomotor deficiencies, refractive and binocular vision status.…”