Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among Saudi children between 2 and 4 years old in Riyadh

Abstract

Objectives: We aimed to estimate the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder between 2 and 4 years old in Riyadh, Saudi Arabi Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Saudi children aged 2–4 years between December 2017 and March 2018 at five different hospitals in Riyadh. Results: A Total of 398 children were included. The prevalence of ASD was estimated to be (2.51%, 1:40, 25 per 1000)), with a male to female ratio of 3:1. Conclusion: The estimated high prevalence rate of ASD is close to recent trends in international studies. Future population-based studies are required.