Incidence of minor physical anomaly in autism

Children diagnosed as autistic were matched by age and sex with 74 control subjects and examined for presence of minor physical anomalies. Of the 16 anomalies scored, autistic children demonstrated a significant accumulation greater than the number exhibited by normal children. Three of the stigmata--low seating of ears, hypertelorism, and syndactylia--were expressed differentially in the two groups, and high palate as well as unusual cranial circumference were significantly high in both groups. Clusters of stigmata that might be associated with known chromosomal disorders could not be identified. The increased number of anomalies suggests that among autistic children such congenital markers indicate a deviant intrauterine experience.