Prevalence of Autism in Special Education Schools of Lahore

This study determined the prevalence of Autism in special education schools of Lahore. Through initial screening by using DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for Autism (American Psychiatric Association, 2000), 142 out of 1633 children were identified as the probable cases of Autism. Of these screened cases, the average rating of two independent raters on Child Autism Rating Scale (Schopler, Reichler, & Renner, 2002) showed that a total of 103 (6.31%) children satisfied the criteria of Autism. Poor social relationship was found to be the most prominent feature among all associated features of the disorder. On the basis of the findings, the need of separate schools offering specialized instructional and educational programs for children with Autism was suggested for the effective management of the disorder.