Infantile autism and other childhood psychoses in a Swedish urban region. Epidemiological aspects

Abstract

A total population screening of children born during 1962-1976 and living in the Gothenburg region at the end of 1980 was carried out in order to obtain prevalence figures for infantile autism and other childhood psychoses. It was found that the prevalence figure for infantile autism was 2.0 per 10,000 and for other childhood psychoses 1.9 per 10,000. Boys were much more often affected by infantile autism than girls. In the case of other psychoses, no such over-representation was seen. A majority of the children were mentally retarded, and only 4% had tested IQs exceeding 100. The results are in good agreement with the three earlier epidemiological studies concerned with childhood psychosis.