Browsing by Author "Pitjeng, Philemon M."

Filter results by typing the first few letters
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders at Tara Hospital Child and Adolescent Clinic
    (2024) Pitjeng, Philemon M.
    Introduction: There are limited studies on the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in Africa as a continent, and in South Africa in particular. This study is aimed at determining the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders at a specialised psychiatric hospital in Johannesburg. Method: This is a retrospective study based on a sample of 1370 patients aged between 1-17 years of age who were evaluated over a period of 6 years at the Tara Hospital Child and Adolescent Clinic. 76 received a clinical diagnosis of ASD as per the DSM-IV-TR or the DSM-5. All patients that were not diagnosed with ASD and those that were diagnosed with ASD but were above the age of 18, were excluded. Results: The prevalence of ASD was 5.5% with a 95% confidence interval of 4.4% to 6.9%. These children also presented with co-morbid psychiatric illnesses, the most common being ADHD at 72% followed by GAD at 34%. Patients that received OT made up 21%, while 17% were at remedial school as per the recommendation made by the multi-disciplinary team. Conclusion: The findings of this study correlate with other studies that have been conducted. There was also an incidental finding that indicated a higher paternal than maternal heritable contribution of ASD. Further research is recommended to measure the outcomes of the cases that were diagnosed.