Table 1 Characteristics of 294 Children with PDD
From: Validation of the diagnosis of autism in general practitioner records
| Â | Â | N | % |
|---|---|---|---|
Male | Â | 238 | 81.0 |
Diagnosis subtype | Autism | 180 | 61.2 |
| Â | PDD NOS | 19 | 6.5 |
| Â | Asperger | 18 | 6.1 |
| Â | Unknown | 77 | 26.2 |
Birth year | 1973 – 1977 | 19 | 6.5 |
|  | 1978 – 1982 | 31 | 10.7 |
|  | 1983 – 1987 | 65 | 22.3 |
|  | 1988 – 1992 | 115 | 39.5 |
|  | 1993 – 1997 | 61 | 21.0 |
Past or current epilepsy | Â | 53 | 18.0 |
Overall level of language1 | Mute | 45 | 16.9 |
| Â | Single words | 52 | 19.5 |
| Â | Few phrases | 50 | 18.7 |
| Â | Phrase speech | 120 | 44.9 |
Estimated intellectual functioning | Normal IQ | 89 | 34.5 |
| Â | Mild MR | 99 | 38.4 |
| Â | Moderate MR | 49 | 19.0 |
| Â | Severe MR | 21 | 8.1 |
Age of parental recognition (months) | 0 – 12 | 82 | 39.6 |
|  | 13 – 24 | 94 | 45.4 |
|  | 25 – 36 | 25 | 12.1 |
| Â | 36+ | 6 | 2.9 |
Regression | Â | 55 | 19.0 |
| Â | N | Mean | SD |
Age at first GPRD diagnosis (years) | 278 | 6.25 | 4.52 |
Age at first letter (years) | 282 | 4.50 | 3.84 |
Age at last report on note (years) | 289 | 10.66 | 5.65 |
Mean number of DSM-IV PDD symptoms | Â | Â | Â |
   –Total | 294 | 6.23 | 4.17 |
   –Language/communication | 294 | 1.66 | 1.43 |
   –Social interaction | 294 | 2.53 | 1.82 |
   –Repetitive behaviours | 294 | 2.05 | 1.76 |