Brainstem auditory-evoked responses with and without sedation in autism and Down's syndrome.

Brainstem auditory-evoked responses (BAER) were obtained from 46 control, 16 Down's syndrome, and 48 autistic male subjects. Six Down's syndrome and 37 autistic subjects were tested with sedation. Sedated and unsedated Down's syndrome subjects displayed shorter absolute and interpeak latencies for early components of the BAER whereas the sedated autistic group showed longer latencies for the middle and late components. The prolongation of latencies in the sedated autistic group was unrelated to age or intellectual level. Although individuals requiring sedation may have a higher probability of neurological impairment, an effect of sedation on the BAER cannot be ruled out.