title: [Aspects of the development of autistic children].
abstract: Autism is attributed to a complex developmental disability. Child development is pervasively impaired in many mental functioning spheres. This study aims to investigate the impact of the autistic features to the physical development of the autistic children. Most attention was paid to the nutrition and sleeping habits of the autistic children including communicational and behavioral aspects related to the mentioned functions. The results were compared with the healthy controls. Differences between the groups were analysed. Low appetite, narrow range of assortment of preferable dishes, digestive autonomic nervous system reactions were significantly more common in the autistic group. Sleep of the autistic children was significantly more often disrupted by waking up caused not by physiological needs when comparing with the control group. Tallness and weight of the autistic children were compared with the Lithuanian norms, physical growth autistic children was delayed and not harmonious. Further investigations in the field are needed.
authors.affiliation: VU Socialines pediatrijos ir vaiku psichiatrijos klinika, Vytauto 15, 2004 Vilnius. sigitalesinskiene@vrc.vu.lt
authors.forename: Sigita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lesinskiene
authors.forename: Egle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vilūnaite
authors.forename: Brigita
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Paskeviciūte
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D012106:Research; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires