Clinical characteristics of children affected by autism spectrum disorder with and without generalized hypotonia

In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to evaluate the association between generalized hypotonia (GH) and demographic features and clinical characteristics in toddlers (2 to 5 years) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Among 93 children, 32 (34.4%) had GH. These patients had a later onset of independent walking (17 vs. 15 months, p < 0.01), a higher proportion of motor stereotypies (65.6 vs. 27.9%, p < 0.01), a lower mean total score in the parental-reported Generic Core Scale of Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (71 vs. 76 points, p 0.03), and a higher mean total score in the Calibrated Severity Score of Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule version 2 at diagnosis (6 vs. 5 points, p 0.02) compared to the group without GH.