Abstract

TARELHO, Luciana Gomes; TORTAMANO, Carina Gisele Costa e Isabel Peixoto  and  ASSUMPCAO JUNIOR, Francisco Baptista. Responsiveness to pain in patients with high-functioning autism. Bol. - Acad. Paul. Psicol. [online]. 2010, vol.30, n.1, pp. 117-127. ISSN 1415-711X.

Reduced pain sensitivity is widely reported as being a common feature for children with autism. The aims of the study were to evaluate responsiveness to pain in patients with and without autism, using an electric stimulation on tooth and a subjective measure, the faces pain scale. Results were compared in 20 male subjects with high-functioning autism and 20 non-impaired male subjects aged at least 14 years old. Pain threshold levels in patients with autism were significantly higher than the comparison group. Moreover, no differences were apparent between the two groups regarding the evaluation on the faces pain scale. Executive dysfunction in autism and impairments in social interaction and communication in such patients may play an important role in responsiveness to pain.

Keywords : Autistic disorder; Child evelopmental disorders; Pain; Electric stimulation.

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