Venous-significant intracranial hemorrhage in neonatal HIE treated with therapeutic hypothermia: imaging phenotypes, diagnostic pitfalls, and prognostic implications.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterised by persistent difficulties in social communication and interaction, accompanied by restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests or activities (). The clinical presentation of ASD is highly heterogeneous and may coexist with intellectual, language and other neurodevelopmental difficulties (, ). According to the most recent estimates, ASD affects approximately 1–2% of the general population worldwide (, ). Reported prevalence rates vary across studies, partly due to differences in diagnostic practices, case ascertainment and methodological approaches (). Symptoms of ASD most often become apparent in early childhood, but diagnosis may be delayed, especially in high-functioning individuals, whose symptoms only become more apparent in highly demanding social situations (). An additional diagnostic difficulty is the frequent co-occurrence of ASD with other neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders, such as ADHD, anxiety disorders, intellectual disability or speech disorders (). Among the causes of developmental delays are metabolic diseases and rare genetic syndromes that modify the expression of autistic symptoms or hinder their diagnosis (, ).