Behaviors associated with fever in children with autism spectrum disorders.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Prospective non-randomized matched controlled study
PubMed 18055656 · doi:10.1542/peds.2007-0360
What was done
This prospective matched controlled study evaluated behavioral changes during and after febrile episodes in 30 children aged 2–18 years with autism spectrum disorders. Parents completed the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) at three time points: during fever (temperature ≥ 38.0 °C / 100.4 °F), when the fever abated and the child was asymptomatic, and 7 days after fever resolution. Outcomes were compared to a control group of 30 afebrile children with autism matched by age, gender, and language skills assessed across equivalent time intervals.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical data, test statistics, or p-values. It notes that parents of febrile children reported fewer aberrant behaviors on the ABC subscales for irritability, hyperactivity, stereotypy, and inappropriate speech compared with matched afebrile controls. Lethargy scores were elevated during fever. Behavioral improvements were transient, resolving after fever abatement, and were observed across subgroups of varying illness severity.
Why it matters
This study provides prospective controlled evidence for the longstanding clinical observation that acute fever may temporarily reduce certain behavioral symptoms in some children with autism spectrum disorders, pointing toward potential neurobiological or immunological mechanisms.
Limits
The study is limited by a small sample size (30 cases, 30 controls), lack of reported numerical effect sizes and confidence intervals in the abstract, reliance on unblinded parent-reported behavior checklists rather than objective clinical assessments, and the difficulty of completely separating behavioral changes from general illness-induced lethargy.
Cited by
- supports A 2007 paper by Curran and colleagues documented that fever temporarily improves autistic symptoms in children.