American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience 2017; 5(6): 60-65 http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/ajpn doi: 10.11648/j.ajpn.20170506.11 ISSN: 2330-4243 (Print); ISSN: 2330-426X (Online) Autism Spectrum Disorders Among Pre-primary and Primary School Pupils in Uyo, Nigeria Paulinus Umoren Essien 1 , Mkpouto Udeme Akpan 1, * , Emmanuel Eyo Ekanem 2 1 Department of Paediatrics, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Nigeria 2 Department of Paediatrics, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria Email address: ecleck@yahoo.com (P. U. Essien), mkpoutoakpan@yahoo.com (M. U. Akpan), profekanem@gmail.com (E. E. Ekanem) * Corresponding author To cite this article: Paulinus Umoren Essien, Mkpouto Udeme Akpan, Emmanuel Eyo Ekanem. Autism Spectrum Disorders Among Pre-primary and Primary School Pupils in Uyo, Nigeria. American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience. Vol. 5, No. 6, 2017, pp. 60-65. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpn.20170506.11 Received: August 24, 2017; Accepted: September 21, 2017; Published: November 8, 2017 Abstract: Autism Spectrum Disorders are a group of neuro-developmental disorders prevalent in school children. There is no known study on its prevalence among children in mainstream primary schools in our environment. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and pattern of autism spectrum disorders among children in Uyo, Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2,641 pupils aged 3-11 years from twelve primary schools in Uyo. The Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-second edition (GARS-2) and Gilliam Asperger’s Disorder Scale (GADS) were completed by both the class teachers and the parents. Student ‘t’ test was used to compare means and chi square to compare proportion. p-value<0.05 was considered significant. Twenty- nine had Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) giving a prevalence rate of 1.1%. Nineteen had pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), 8 had autistic disorder (AD) and 2 had Asperger’s disorder (AsD). ASD was commoner in males, young age group (3-5 years) and children of upper social class. It was concluded that ASD is prevalent among children in mainstream primary schools in Uyo, Nigeria. Appropriate healthcare policy should be put in place to cater for the special needs of these children. Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Pupils, Uyo 1. Introduction Autism Spectrum Disorders are a group of neuro- developmental disorders prevalent in school children [1]. The disorders are characterized by qualitative variations and severity differences in the development of reciprocal social or emotional interaction, non-verbal communicative behaviours such as eye contact and facial expression, peer relationship, initiating and sustaining conversation, delayed or lack of expressed language and social imaginative play, with the presence of restricted repetitive and stereotyped pattern of behaviour, interest and activities [1], [2]. The spectrum ranges from the most severe, Autistic Disorder (AD) to the less severe forms; Asperger’s Disorder (AsD) and Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) [1]. Autism spectrum disorders have been accorded prominent attention in America, Europe and Asia [3], [4], [5]. On the contrary, the African continent, Nigeria inclusive has a dearth of data on autism spectrum disorders due to lack of epidemiological studies [6], [7], [8]. Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders vary from one geographical location to the other depending largely on study methodology [2], [3], [4], [7]. A prevalence rate of 2% was reported in United States of America while prevalence rate of 1.57% and 2.62% were reported in United Kingdom and South Korea respectively [5], [6], [7], [8], [9]. Most studies on prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in Africa, Nigeria inclusive were carried out in children with mental impairment, a restricted population of children not in regular schools [8], [10], [11]. These studies might not be a true reflection of the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in the general population. Schools in Western countries are required by law to identify all pupils with disabilities, including those with