article: ASD following herpes encephalitis

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a few years old ....

Subject: Autism in late childhood

Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2002 Jun;11(3):142-6.

Autistic symptoms following herpes encephalitis.

Ghaziuddin M, Al-Khouri I, Ghaziuddin N.

Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Michigan

Medical Center, Ann Arbor 48109-0390, USA. mghaziud@...

Autism is a childhood onset neurodevelopmental disorder

characterized by reciprocal social deficits, communication

impairment, and rigid ritualistic interests, with the onset almost

always before three years of age. Although the etiology of the

disorder is strongly influenced by genes, environmental factors are

also important. In this context, several reports have described its

association with known medical conditions, including infections

affecting the central nervous system. In this report, we describe an

11-year-old Asian youngster who developed the symptoms of autism

following an episode of herpes encephalitis. In contrast to previous

similar reports, imaging studies suggested a predominant involvement

of the frontal lobes. At follow-up after three years, he continued

to show the core deficits of autism. This case further supports the

role of environmental factors, such as infections, in the etiology

of autism, and suggests that in a minority of cases, autistic

symptoms can develop in later childhood.