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Functional Score Changes in a Group of Patients with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) with Interdisciplinary Treatment
In the Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires there is an interdisciplinary team (ASD team) that provides treatment to patients with developmental disorder. It works with clinicians, music therapists, psychologists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists and pedagogical professionals The team uses the IDEA (Inventory autistic spectrum) as a qualitative tool for evaluating the severity and responses to treatment of the patients. The IDEA is a behavioral observation scale that evaluates 12 aspects of development. It also estimates the severity of autistic characteristics, and provides targets for intervention, and gives tips for monitoring the evolution. No studies have been found in Argentina to validate this tool in monitoring patients with ASD. Population: pediatric patients between 2 and 17 years old, diagnosed with ASD who have at least 2 assessments of IDEA in a minimum interval of time of 6 months between each other. (Inclusion criteria)
Objectives: To make a description about the progress and give a score to this progress of patients who are in treatment with an ASD Team.
Methods: It is a retrospective and descriptive study. We include all patients founded in the ASD team treatment between 2008 and 2014. The description of the patients’ evolution was done through the analysis of the IDEA score. Items evaluated were: age, sex, result of the first IDEA scores (IDEA 1) and the second IDEA score measured after 6 months of evolution (IDEA 2). Also an IDEA partial score of each dimension evaluated. The IDEA scale measures disorder or dysfunction. Each dimension of IDEA presents a range of 8 points, from 0 to 8. 8 correspond to a maximum level of involvement in each dimension and 0 as skill without disorder. The total score is the result of the sum of the 12 dimensions (range 0 to 96). The score decline implies improvement in patients’ functionality. The cutoff points below 50 are considered with good prognosis and below 25, with high functionality.
Results: From a total of 50 patients, 39 met the inclusion criteria. 85% were male and the median age was 5 years (IQR 4-6). After two evaluations made with IDEA The results shows a score decrease in 31 patients (79%).
Conclusions: A statistic significant difference is observed between the initial IDEA (median 36 RIC 28-50) and final IDEA (median 31, IQR 25-40).An statistical analysis is done in two groups of patients: better prognosis n: 29 (With initial scores: less than 50) and worse prognosis n: 10 (with initial scores : higher than 50) and it is observed that the difference between scores of groups 1 and 2 was statistically significant test result. (p less than 0.005)