Autism with Severe Mental Retardation: a Therapeutic Challenge and Expert Opinion

Background: Autism disorders which are also known pervasive developmental disorders as are very complex and heterogeneous group of chronic disorders that marked by early impairment in socialization, communication, and behavior. Atypical autism associated with severe mental retardation is more likely to be associated with significant hyperactivity and behavioral abnormalities, and thus this association intensifies the therapeutic challenge of autism disorders.

Patients and methods: The challenging case of a ten-year Iraqi boy who has autism disorder associated with severe mental retardation and markedly impaired behaviors is described, and expert opinion is presented.

Results: A ten-year Iraqi boy was seen because of markedly impaired communication, very poor cognitive abilities, no speech development, and severe behavioral abnormalities. He was not responding to name and had no eye contact. He was markedly hyperactive and was displaying repetitive abnormal movements and behaviors. He was not saying any word, not understanding simple commands, and had very poor behaviors and was defecating in place in home and in the street. The boy in this paper was initially treated based on our extensive published experiences with treatment of autism disorders and mental retardation.

Conclusion: Treatment of children with atypical autism associated with severe mental retardation represents a therapeutic challenge and demands the judicious uses of multiple therapies including intramuscular cerebrolysin and piracetam, typical and atypical neuroleptics and baclofen.

Keywords:Atypical autism; Mental retardation; Therapeutic challenge; Expert opinion