[Adaptation of a soft-signs scale to children with autism spectrum disorders]

Neurological soft signs (NSS) are endophenotypic markers of schizophrenia, and their high prevalence in pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) support the existence of the spectrum of psychoses. These NSS were evaluated by standardized scales which were not adapted to children with PDD.

This study aimed to propose an adaptation for children of a scale of NSS already used in adults.

21 children with PDD (11 with autistic disorder, 10 with PDD not otherwise specified) aged 6-12 years and 21 controls matched on age, sex, and cognitive level were included. Evaluating tools were NSS scale of Krebs et al. adapted after a pilot-study with the accordance of its author; the Progressive Matrices of Raven for intellectual level, and ADI-R to confirm diagnosis.

Patients were significantly more impaired on total score (p=0,001), motor coordination (p=0,008), motor integration (p=0,000), and sensory integration (p=0,001). There were no difference between patients and controls on abnormal movements and quality of lateralization.

This adaptation of Krebs et al. scale seems to be a good tool for evaluating NSS in children, especially in those with PDD. A further validation study, including a larger sample is necessary.