Abstract:

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of cases who have applied to a research and training hospital for special needs reports for children. Materials and Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on the medical records of children and adolescents aged 0 to 18 who applied to the Medical Board of the Şanlurfa Mehmet Akif İnan Training and Research Hospital and underwent psychiatric evaluations between June 2022 and December 2022. Results: The research covered 600 cases, of whom 39% (n=234) were female and 61% (n=366) were male, and the mean age at the time that patients applied to the child psychiatry outpatient clinic was 7.87±4.43. When the child psychiatry diagnoses in the special needs reports were examined, it was found that 78% of the cases (n=468) had at least one psychiatric diagnosis, and 86.3% (n=518) of all patients had no previous psychiatric drug use. The most common psychiatric disorder was Borderline Intellectual Functioning (n=110), followed by Specific Learning Disorder (n=64). Autism Spectrum Disorder was more common in boys whereas Severe Intellectual Disability was significantly more common in girls. There was no significant difference between the 3 different age groups in terms of the frequency of Mild Intellectual Disability, Severe Intellectual Disability, and Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnoses. Conclusion: Psychiatrists and other medical professionals can greatly benefit from knowing the characteristics of children and adolescents who apply to the medical boards for special needs reports in various parts of Turkey. To fully address this matter, further research with larger numbers of samples from various centers are required

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