Prevalence and risk factors of autism spectrum disorders in preschool children in Sharkia, Egypt: a community-based study

Middle East Current Psychiatry

Table 5 Comparison between autistic and non-autistic children in watching TV

Variable	Autistic (n = 20)		Non autistic# (n = 84)		χ²	P
Variable	No.	%	No.	%	χ²	P
Age of beginning TV (in months)
Mean ± SD	18.1 ± 8.6		18.83 ± 6.7		MW 1.22	0.22 NS
Range	8-36		8-36		MW 1.22	0.22 NS
Duration of TV watch
Mean ± SD	6.75 ± 2.83		2.55 ± 1.64		MW 4.82	< 0.001**
Range	1-11		0.5-9		MW 4.82	< 0.001**
Attachment to TV^◙
Weak	3	15	47	56
Intermediate	3	15	33	39.3
Strong	12	60	2	2.4	Fisher	< 0.001**
Very strong	2	10	2	2.4

#Non-autistic children included here were those of the high-risk group
^◙The degree of the attachment of the child to TV was assessed by the degree of irritability of the child when restrained from viewing TV detected by the caregiver
**Statistically significant