Profile of autism spectrum disorders in Morocco: cross-sectional retrospective study of parents of children with autism

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: In Morocco, autism is a frequent disorder and no epidemiological studies have been carried out. The aim of this work is to analyze the characteristics of the onset of autism in children. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: We conducted a cross-sectional retrospective study, spread over a period of 10 months. METHODS: We included in our survey children who, according to the DSM 5 definition, had one of the autism spectrum disorders and had a well-defined diagnosis. For the statistical analysis we used Excel® software. We used the percentages for the description of the qualitative variables. RESULTS: Of the parents of children with ASD, 49% were biological mothers. Of these, 30% women had their child when they were between 30 and 35 years of age. Males accounted for 61% of children with a sex ratio of 2.6. The first autistic traits appeared at the age of 18 months for 22% of our population. Of mothers with children with ASD, 83% had regular medical follow-up throughout their pregnancy. All autistic children in our population were vaccinated according to the National Immunization Program. According to parent reports, 70% affirmed that the first autistic features appeared after vaccination with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, knowing that this statement is not based on evidence. CONCLUSIONS: The quality of care depends on the age at which the diagnosis of autism is established.