Autisme et douleur : état des connaissances et conséquence pratique

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social and communicative impairments and by the presence of stereotyped behaviors and restricted interests. Until recently, patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were considered insensitive to pain. The specifics of autistic functioning include sensory-perceptual anomalies, which, associated with cognitive impairment and differences in communication, question the real nature of the relationship between pain and autism. Data from the literature, recent and few, highlight that patients with ASD are pain hypersensitive and that the pain expression in these individuals differs from non-autistic patients. These new understanding elements establishing such a link between behavior disorders and pain should allow us to change the way we identify, assess, treat pain and some behavioral problems of the individuals with ASD.