Caracterização clínica e sociodemográfica de crianças com Transtorno do Espectro Autista: relações entre sintomatologia e níveis de suporte

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by persistent deficits in communication, social interaction and the presence of restricted and repetitive patterns, which become more significant as the level of the disorder, that can be level 1, 2 or 3, increases. In addition to the central symptomatological description, other peripheral characteristics can also be observed, such as: anxiety, aggressiveness, low concentration, hyperactivity, stereotyped motor movements, sleep disorders and food selectivity. The number of individuals diagnosed with autism has grown in recent decades, however, there is still a lack of studies about the epidemiology and sociodemography of the disorder in Brazil. In view of this, the present study aimed to characterize the clinical and demographic profile of the sample. Therefore, we investigated the predominant symptomatological manifestations in ASD to identify which symptoms most discriminate each level of the disorder. We also analyzed the most performed treatments and the demographic variables of sex, age, income, presence of siblings with ASD, place of residence and whether they attend school. The study included 234 children and data were collected using the Google Forms platform, where we set up a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire to be answered by those responsible. The results indicated that the demographic profile of the sample is predominantly male, with a mean age of 6.05 years, who live in the urban area, attend school, do not have siblings with ASD and with a family income between 1 and 3 minimum wages. Regarding the clinical characterization, it was noticed that the symptoms wich best discriminated the levels were aggressiveness, agitation, concentration and stereotyped motor movements. The most performed treatment were speech therapy and most of the sample uses medications, with risperidone being the most used medication. Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder; symptom assessment; sociodemographic profile.