Autistic spectrum disorder and fairy tales: A case study

Abstract

Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder identified by atypical behavioral manifestations, which may present a restricted repertoire of interests and activities and poor communication and social interaction. Its etiology remains unknown and is present in more than 500,000 people throughout Brazil. In this article, there is a brief literature review for the basis of the autistic spectrum disorder and its finding in the patient regarding her wonder about the fairytale princess. Case Report: JAD, 17 years old, is a student without comorbidities. She had been diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Cognitive Deficit, and Epilepsy. At 14 months, she started convulsive crises that were difficult to control, about four episodes daily. About ten months ago, an obsession with a specific fairy tale character (Snow White) began. She put herself in the character’s place and suffered from “supposedly” not receiving visits from the entire group that made up the fairy tale. She had severe cognitive delay and disjointed reasoning. She was spoken very little, did not make long sentences. It presented alterations in neuroimaging. Conclusion: After understanding the definition of the disorder, which involves a change in neurodevelopment, whether in the brain anatomy or due to a deficiency in the neuronal circuit, it is noted that even though the diagnosis is clinical, in some cases—including the reported case—the diagnosis imaging can also help to understand possible behavioral changes due to an anatomical abnormality.