Occupational performance patterns in children with paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome.
Michelle J Newby, Shelly J Lane, Kirsti Haracz and 3 others
PMID 39375074WHAT IT FOUND
Children with PANS show a significant drop in social skills and overall daily functioning during flare-ups, but return to typical performance levels when in remission.
Assessments taken during a flare may falsely suggest autism, so testing during remission is crucial for accurate diagnosis.
Key findings
01During exacerbations, children showed statistically significant lower scores in the Adaptive Behaviour Composite and socialisation domains compared to remission periods.
02During remission periods, all VABS domains (communication, daily living skills, socialisation, and overall composite) were within the typical 'Adequate' range compared to normative data.
03The study authors warn that low socialisation scores during exacerbations could lead to a misdiagnosis of autism if the child is not also assessed during remission.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, which severely impacted recruitment and retention. Only 9 participants provided data at both exacerbation and remission time points, making the paired analysis small. More data was collected during exacerbations (n=21) than remissions (n=15), which may bias the comparison. The study excluded children with autism spectrum disorder and neuromotor conditions, so results may not apply to children with these comorbidities.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by non-U.S. government funding. One author (Newby) is a paediatric occupational therapist with a family member affected by PANS, and another (Tona) is a scientific advisory board member of the Brain Inflammation Collaborative.
The easy way to misread this
Do not diagnose autism or permanent social communication disorder based solely on a child's low socialisation scores during a PANS exacerbation. The study showed these children returned to typical performance levels during remission, suggesting the deficit was temporary and condition-specific.