Obsessive–compulsive traits in children and adolescents with Asperger syndrome

Liliana Ruta (1) , Diego Mugno (1) , Valentina Genitori d'Arrigo (1) , Benedetto Vitiello (2) , Luigi Mazzone (1)

1 Division of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Department of Paediatrics
2 Child and Adolescent Treatment and Preventive Interventions Research Branch

The objective of this study is to examine the occurrence and characteristic features of obsessive–compulsive behaviours in children and adolescents with Asperger syndrome (AS), with respect to a matched obsessive compulsive disorder group (OCD) and a typically developing control group (CG). For this purpose, 60 subjects (20 OCD; 18 AS; 22 CG), aged 8–15 years, matched for age, gender and IQ were compared. AS and OCD patients were diagnosed according to the DSM-IV-TR criteria. The and the were used to assist in the AS diagnosis; the WISC-R was administered to assess IQ. Obsessive and compulsive symptoms were evaluated by using the (CY-BOCS). None of the AS children received a formal diagnosis of OCD. The AS group presented significantly higher frequencies of obsessions and , and compulsions compared to CG. The OCD group, in turn, reported significantly higher frequencies of and obsessions and compulsions compared to both the AS group and CG. As expected, the OCD group displayed a higher severity of symptoms ( level of severity) than did the AS group ( level of severity). Finally, in our sample, neither the OCD group nor the AS group demonstrated a completely full awareness of the intrusive, unreasonable and distressing nature of symptoms, and the level of did not differ between the OCD group and CG, although an absence of was observed in the AS group. Children with AS showed higher frequencies of obsessive and compulsive symptoms than did typically developing children, and these features seem to cluster around behaviours. Additionally, different patterns of symptoms emerged between the OCD and AS groups. Finally, in our sample, the level of insight was poor in both the OCD and the AS children. Further research should be conducted to better understand the characteristics of repetitive thoughts and behaviours in autism spectrum disorders, and to clarify the underlying neurobiological basis of these symptoms.

Mots clés: Asperger syndrome; Autism; Obsessive–compulsive disorder; Repetitive behaviours; Insight

Liliana Ruta, Diego Mugno, Valentina Genitori d'Arrigo, Benedetto Vitiello, Luigi Mazzone. Obsessive–compulsive traits in children and adolescents with Asperger syndrome. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2009, 19 (1), pp.17-24. ⟨10.1007/s00787-009-0035-6⟩. ⟨hal-00535160⟩