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. 2022 Jun;80(6):620-630.
doi: 10.1590/0004-282X-ANP-2021-0156.

Autism and Down syndrome: early identification and diagnosis

Natália Lisce Fioravante Diniz  1 , Erika Parlato-Oliveira  1   2   3 , Priscila Gonçalves Ayres Pimenta  4 , Liubiana Arantes de Araújo  1 , Eugênia Ribeiro Valadares  1
Affiliations

Autism and Down syndrome: early identification and diagnosis

Natália Lisce Fioravante Diniz et al. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2022 Jun.

Abstract
in English, Portuguese

The diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Down syndrome (DS) is underestimated because it is necessary to understand which aspects of the behavioral phenotype are related to DS and which are related to ASD. Objective: To conduct a systematic review of the literature on early identification and diagnosis of ASD in patients with DS. Data source: The VHL, MEDLINE, Cochrane, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science and Embase databases were searched and data were evaluated using PRISMA. Data synthesis: Out of 1,729 articles evaluated, 15 were selected. Although well studied, identification of ASD in DS can be difficult because of the need to understand which aspects of the behavioral phenotype are related to Down syndrome and which to autism. In this review, the prevalence of ASD was found to range from 12% to 41%. Early identification of autism risk in individuals with Down syndrome is still poorly studied, even though there are screening instruments for infants. Several instruments for diagnosing autism in individuals with Down syndrome were found, but a developmental approach is fundamental for making a clear diagnosis. Conclusions: Screening procedures are important for detecting early signs of autism risk in the first year of life. Careful evaluation methods are needed to establish the diagnosis, which include choosing appropriate tools for evaluation of development and cognition, and analysis of qualitative aspects of social interaction, among others. It has been indicated in the literature that early detection and timely accurate diagnosis, in association with an intervention, may benefit development, quality of life and social inclusion.

Antecedentes:: O diagnóstico de autismo na síndrome de Down é subestimado, sendo necessário entender quais aspectos do fenótipo comportamental estão relacionados à síndrome de Down e quais são do autismo.

Objetivo: Revisão Sistemática da Literatura sobre identificação precoce e diagnóstico do Transtorno do Espectro Autista em pacientes com síndrome de Down. Fonte de dados: Busca nas bases BVS, MEDLINE, Cochrane, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science e Embase e avaliação pelo PRISMA.

Síntese dos dados: De 1.729 artigos avaliados, foram selecionados 15. Apesar de ser bastante estudada, a identificação do transtorno do espectro do autismo na síndrome de Down pode ser difícil devido a compreensão de quais aspectos do fenótipo comportamental estão relacionados à síndrome de Down e quais são do autismo. Nessa revisão foi encontrada variação na prevalência de 12% a 41%. A identificação precoce de risco de autismo na síndrome de Down é pouco estudada mesmo existindo instrumentos de triagem para lactentes. Sobre o diagnóstico do autismo na síndrome de Down foram encontrados diversos instrumentos, mas é necessária abordagem desenvolvimental para um diagnóstico apurado.

Conclusões: É destacada a importância de procedimentos de triagem de sinais precoces de risco de autismo ainda no primeiro ano de vida. São para estabelecimento do diagnóstico a escolha de instrumentos para a avaliação do desenvolvimento e cognição, análise dos aspectos qualitativos da interação social, dentre outros. A detecção precoce e o diagnóstico preciso no tempo correto e uma intervenção poderão beneficiar o desenvolvimento, a qualidade de vida e inclusão social.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: There is no conflict of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Flow of studies included in the review - PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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