Health-related quality of life in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluates self- and proxy-reported health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The study also compares HRQOL in ASD patients with a healthy control sample and a psychiatric reference sample.

METHOD

42 children and adolescents (39 male, mean age: 12.7 ± 2.6 years, mean IQ: 100.5 ± 20.7) with the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their parents completed the Inventory for the Assessment of Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents (ILK).

RESULTS

Mean ILK LQ 0-28 scores were 20.6 (± 4.6) (self-report version) and 18.2 (± 4.0) (proxy version). Compared to a reference sample, mean ILK scores from the ASD sample were at the 47th percentile (self-report) and the 33rd percentile (proxy). Compared to children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders, self-reported ILK scores correlated with the 69th percentile, and proxy-reported ILK scores correlated with the 67th percentile. Self-reported HRQOL was significantly higher than proxy-reported HRQOL. No significant correlation was found between HRQOL and age, IQ, or autistic symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

HRQOL in children and adolescents with ASD seems to be better than in other psychiatric disorders, but lower than in healthy controls.