Assessment of the risk factors affecting children with autism spectrum disorder in Kurdistan region at Sulaimania city : parental perceptions

Abstract EN

Background: There is a lack of research in the assessment of autism risk factors affecting children in the Kurdistan Region.

The aim: The present study has been carried out to find the parental perceptions about socio-demographic, prenatal, perinatal and neonatal factors associated with autistic children.

Methodology: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted in 120 autistic children's families, where their children diagnosed using the diagnostic and statistical manual of development disorder (DSM-5) (either mother or father) attending special school in Sulaimania city during October 2015 to June 2016.

Factorial analysis (principal component analysis) was used in order to identify the effective factors affecting autism.Results: The characteristic of mother's socio-demographic data showed that the mother's mean age were (28.95 years, SD ± 6.320) and father's mean age was (34.10 years, SD ± 6.475).

Prenatal factors showed (43.3%) were used medications while they were pregnant with their children.

Mor than half (59.2%) of them were living in a very unhappy emotional status, which estimated as a second principle component affecting autism.

Regarding the perinatal factors, more than half of the children were delivered through c/s and selected as the most effective factors affecting autism along with a prolong and induce labor.

Perinatal factors showed more than half (55%) of the neonate were delayed in crying after delivery and reported in the first principle component and Only (34.2%) of the neonate were suffered from respiratory distress that they needed oxygen.

The majority of the neonate (61.7) was affected by the jaundice.

Conclusion: Overall, this study demonstrated four key factors such as, mother Socio- demographic, prenatal, perinatal and neonatal, each part has some factors shared common variance with other items.

Recommendations: Much work will be needed to classify the specific types of autism.

In addition, more applied studies are required in order to enhance the autistic children and their families quality of life