Abstract

Objective: Most young college students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who consult psychiatrists for the first time have problem of comorbidities and maladjustment. We investigated the presence and transition from childhood of mental problems of ASD students to clarify the sign of maladjustment before adolescence.

Methods: We could obtain detailed childhood information from 62 cases (35 males and 27 females) of 97 students with ASD who visited the psychiatrists between 2005 and 2016. We investigated the incidences of past symptoms, consultations, and treatment.

Results: 55% of subjects had psychosomatic symptoms in their childhood. Females had significantly many psychosomatic symptoms in childhood than males. The symptoms changed for mood disorder in many cases. Many cases treated in the past showed good adaptation for college life after consultation and treatment.

Conclusion: Finding psychosomatic symptoms during childhood and intervening at an early time may prevent secondary psychiatric symptoms in their adolescence.