Undiagnosed Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Child With Chronic Pain: A Case Report

TL;DR

A child with chronic pain was found to have undiagnosed autism, which helped guide his treatment and improve his condition.

Contribution

This case highlights the importance of considering autism spectrum disorder in children with chronic pain.

Findings

The boy's chronic pain was linked to undiagnosed autism spectrum disorder.

Multidisciplinary care improved the patient's clinical situation.

Autism diagnosis helped address sensory and communication challenges.

Abstract

The literature acknowledges the presence of psychiatric comorbidities in pediatric chronic pain populations. Few studies have focused on comorbidity with autism spectrum disorders. We describe the case of a 10-year-old patient at the onset of his care by the chronic pain team. This boy had been experiencing refractory multifocal chronic pain for three years and had undergone multiple medical examinations that had not identified the cause of the pain or provided sufficient pain relief. During our consultations, the behavioral peculiarities (averted gaze, inhibition), the atypical description of this boy's pain (pain in the hair), and sensory peculiarities (intolerance to noise) led us to suspect an autism spectrum disorder. A multidisciplinary approach, including a thorough developmental history and evaluation by an autism resource center, confirmed this suspicion. The diagnosis of an underlying autism spectrum disorder allowed us to guide our management by integrating the specific sensory aspects of this boy. Concurrently, we facilitated the family's better understanding of the young boy's issues and addressed his social and communication difficulties. Through multidisciplinary care and the integration of these various aspects, our patient's clinical situation improved. Multidisciplinary management is essential in chronic pain teams.

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