A 13 year old boy’s mother is concerned that he has no friends and she brings him to the GP surgery

A 13 year old boy’s mother is concerned that he has no friends and she brings him to the GP surgery. He does not play with other children. He likes model cars and has 1,000 cars in his collection. He is indifferent to either praise or criticism from his mother or teachers.

Which is the most likely diagnosis?

  1. Attachment disorder
  2. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
  3. Autistic spectrum disorder
  4. Obsessive compulsive disorder
  5. Schizoid personality disorder

C. Autistic spectrum disorder

Explanation:

International Classification of Diseases, tenth edition (ICD-10) and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fifth edition (DSM-5) NICE (December 2017). Autism spectrum disorder in under 19s: recognition, referral and diagnosis