Pragmatic difficulties in children with autism associated with childhood epilepsy.
OBJECTIVE
The intention of this study was to examine specific pragmatic functions in 35 children, aged 6-11 years, with a history of epilepsy (mean length of duration 6.5 years), who demonstrated autistic features, ASD or autistic regression.


METHODS
The children's ability to recognize and convey communicative intentions, conversational engagement and paralinguistic features were investigated using the Pragmatics Profile of Everyday Communication Skills in Children using semi-structured key-worker interviews. The association between weak or abnormal prosody and epileptic focus was also examined.


RESULTS
Findings demonstrate a strong association between early onset epilepsy with autism or autistic regression and additional pragmatic impairment. A number of children exhibited weak or abnormal prosody in association with temporal lobe EEG abnormalities, particularly in the non-dominant hemisphere. Consideration is given to recent studies of the converse--the presence of a reducing prevalence of epilepsy in the autism population and acknowledgment of implications for learning within the autistic population.
Parkinson
Gillian M
GM
University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. gillian.m.parkinson@manchester.ac.uk
D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D003147:Communication Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020888:Vigabatrin / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000927:Anticonvulsants; D020888:Vigabatrin