Fever May Improve Behavior of Children With Autism Disorders

Estes, who uses the same behavior checklist in her research that the researchers used in the study, cautioned that the checklist is not specific to children with ASD, nor is it used to diagnose ASD. It is used to assess behavior in children with a variety of developmental disorders, including mental retardation, genetic diseases and Down syndrome, she said.

"The checklist is used to understand other behaviors that children with autism have troubles with," Estes explained. Irritability and lethargy are among those problem areas, she said.

The fatigue associated with illness may seem a natural explanation for the changes in behavior, but the study authors found lethargy was not a factor.

"We stratified subjects based on their level of lethargy and we did not find a difference. Children in both groups, whether their lethargy was high or low, had benefits," said study lead author Laura Curran, research assistant at the institute.

The study may provide hope for future avenues of ASD research. But it also provides an important piece of information for professionals who must evaluate children with the disorder, the researchers said.

"This research adds to the literature of understanding the underlying neurological and behavioral aspects of ASD in that it assists with setting a context for evaluation and treatment. It will be important for diagnosticians to query parents and guardians as to how recently the child had a fever because it may diminish behaviors that need to be assessed," said Michael Morrier, assistant director for research and program evaluation at the Emory Autism Center in Atlanta.

Morrier said he would like to see more in-depth study of the effect.

Autism may strike one in every 150 American children, according to statistics released earlier this year by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Males are four times more likely than females to be diagnosed with the disorder.

More information

To learn more about autism, visit the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.

SOURCES: Andrew Zimmerman, M.D., pediatric neurologist, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore; Laura Curran, Ph.D., research assistant, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore; Annette Estes, M.D., research assistant professor in psychiatry at the University of Washington, Seattle, and associate director of the University of Washington Autism Center; Michael J. Morrier, M.A., BCBA, assistant director, Research and Program Evaluation, Emory Autism Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta; December 2007,Pediatrics