Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review on how Diagnosis, Treatment, and Etiology have been considered in Brazil

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder is a group of developmental disorders whose clinical characteristics include socialization impairment, language disability, and unusual behavior. This review aimed to analyze how the Brazilian community researches autism, seeking answers surrounding its treatment, etiology, and diagnosis. The search for publications was based in Elsevier's Scopus Database in June 2019 and was focused on the study of autism in Brazil or with Brazilian data. We categorized publications on diagnosis, treatment, and etiology. The majority of the publications found after inclusion/exclusion criteria sought to validate and adapt pre-existing scales to the Brazilian Portuguese. Instead, the groups performing these studies have had little background in the biochemical, genetic, or environmental aspects of the disease in the country.