Parent and Teacher Reports of Comorbid Anxiety and ADHD Symptoms in Children with ASD

Abstract One of the most frequently reported behavioral concerns among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is high rates of activity and inattention, symptoms that are often associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Although there is a considerable body of research regarding the appropriate treatment of ADHD symptoms among typically developing children, the research among children with ASD is more limited. The evidence to date suggests that medication response rates among children with ASD are considerably lower than among typically developing children and that children with ASD tend to be at greater risk for experiencing side effects. The purpose of the present paper is to review the available research on the treatment of ADHD symptoms in children with ASD. This paper summarizes the data on a range of pharmacological options and provides specific recommendations for how best to clinically manage these symptoms.

Download Full-text

Overlapping symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders: more similarities than differences

10.31234/osf.io/7xspg ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Dienke J. Bos ◽

Daniella Dobos ◽

Bob Oranje ◽

Sarah Durston

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Attention Deficit ◽

Latent Profile Analysis ◽

Profile Analysis ◽

Repetitive Behavior ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Adhd Symptoms ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Restricted And Repetitive Behavior

Background: While Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may intuitively seem to be on the extremes of a single spectrum (ranging from impulsive to rigid), symptoms of ASD and ADHD often co-occur in the same children. This study aimed to provide an in-depth characterization of ADHD and ASD symptoms in children with and without ASD and/or ADHD using questionnaire data. Methods: In total, we included 702 symptom measurements from 484 children aged between 6 and 18 years with ADHD (N=155), ASD (N=141), or typically developing (N=188) and analyzed these using linear mixed-effects models. We used latent-profile analysis (LPA) to investigate patterns of comorbid ADHD and ASD symptoms. Results: The present study investigated restricted and repetitive behavior and symptoms of ADHD across a large sample of children with ASD and/or ADHD, compared to typically developing peers. We found that children with comorbid ASD and ADHD had the most severe symptoms that persisted over development. Children with a primary ADHD diagnosis had elevated levels of restricted and repetitive behavior, and children with ASD also had symptoms of ADHD. Latent profile analysis (LPA) further suggested that patterns of symptom comorbidity are not specific to diagnostic categories.Conclusions: We found severe and persistent ASD and ADHD symptoms in children with comorbid ASD and ADHD. Children with a single diagnosis of ASD or ADHD had more moderate symptoms that improved with age. Furthermore, children with ASD had elevated ADHD symptoms, and vice versa, suggesting that symptoms are not specific to diagnostic categories.

Download Full-text

Atomoxetine and parent training improve ADHD symptoms and noncompliance in children with ASD

The Brown University Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology Update ◽

10.1002/cpu.30073 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 17 (10) ◽

pp. 3-5

Keyword(s):

Parent Training ◽

Adhd Symptoms ◽

Children With Asd

Download Full-text

The Effect of Comorbid Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms on Face Memory in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Insights from Transdiagnostic Profiles

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11070859 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 859

Author(s):

Qi Chen ◽

Zengjian Wang ◽

Bin Wan ◽

Qingxin Chen ◽

Kun Zhai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Attention Deficit ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Adhd Symptoms ◽

Face Memory ◽

Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Lower Accuracy ◽

Comorbid Adhd

Face memory impairments are common but heterogeneous in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which may be influenced by co-occurrence with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Here, we aimed to investigate the phenotype change of face memory in children with ASD comorbid ADHD symptoms, and discuss the potential role of executive function (EF). Ninety-eight children were analyzed in the present study, including ASD− (ASD-only, n = 24), ADHD (n = 23), ASD+ (with ADHD symptoms, n = 23) and neurotypical controls (NTC, n = 28). All participants completed two tests: face encoding and retrieving task and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) for measuring face memory and EF, respectively. Results revealed that: compared with the NTC group, children with ASD− exhibited lower accuracy in both face encoding and retrieving, and participants with ASD+ showed lower accuracy only in the retrieving, whereas no differences were found among participants with ADHD. Moreover, in the ASD+ group, face encoding performance was correlated with response perseverative errors (RPE) and failure to maintain sets (FMS) of WCST; significantly, there were no group differences between ASD+ and NTC in these two indices. The transdiagnostic profiles indicated that comorbid ADHD symptoms could modulate the face encoding deficiency of ASD, which may be partially compensated by EF. Shared and distinct intervention strategies to improve social cognition are recommended for children undergoing treatment for each condition.

Download Full-text

Differential Parent and Teacher Reports of ADHD Symptoms According to the Child’s Country of Origin: A Quantitative Study From Denmark Exploring the Implication for Diagnosis

Journal of Attention Disorders ◽

10.1177/1087054719895309 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 108705471989530

Author(s):

Armin Sahuric ◽

Lena Hohwü ◽

Kathrine Bang Madsen ◽

Astrid Fyrstenborg Christensen ◽

Maria Vandborg Snefstrup ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Country Of Origin ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Immigrant Parents ◽

Similar Amount ◽

Multiple Logistic Regression ◽

Adhd Symptoms ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Teacher Reports ◽

Strengths And Difficulties

Objective: This study aimed to investigate differences in parent- and teacher-reported ADHD symptoms according to the child’s country of origin. Method: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 4,207 nonimmigrant (Danish origin) and 233 immigrant (non-Danish origin) children including ratings of phenotypical ADHD symptoms on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires. The association between ADHD symptoms and country of origin, separately for parents and teachers, was analyzed using multiple logistic regression. Results: Teachers reported similar numbers of ADHD symptoms for immigrant and nonimmigrant children (odds ratio [OR] = 0.95, confidence interval [CI] = [0.58, 1.54]), whereas immigrant parents were less likely than nonimmigrant parents to report ADHD symptoms (OR = 0.42, CI = [0.21, 0.84]). Conclusion: Immigrant parents were less likely than nonimmigrant parents to report ADHD symptoms, whereas the teachers reported similar amount of ADHD symptoms in the two groups of children. Our results emphasize the importance of paying attention to teacher reporting of ADHD symptoms when assessing immigrant children.

Download Full-text

DIAGNOSES OF ATTENTION-DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER FROM PARENT REPORTS PREDICT DIAGNOSES BASED ON TEACHER REPORTS

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.94.5.a46a ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 94 (5) ◽

pp. A46-A46

Author(s):

Joseph Biederman ◽

Stephen V. Faraone ◽

Sharon Milberger ◽

Alysa Doyle

Keyword(s):

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Clinical Diagnosis ◽

Attention Deficit ◽

Attention Deficit Disorder ◽

Parent Report ◽

Adhd Symptoms ◽

Teacher Report ◽

Clinical Criteria ◽

Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Teacher Reports

Objective: For DSM-III attention deficit disorder (ADD), it was previously reported that, when a parent report leads to a diagnosis of ADD, it is highly likely that the teacher report will also be positive. This report seeks to generalize that finding to DSM-III-R attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Method: In a population of 34 children meeting clinical criteria for DSM-III-R ADHD, parents and teachers independently responded to questions about individual ADHD symptoms. Results: Correlations between parents and teachers for individ ual symptoms were low to moderate; however, there was a 77% probability that the teacher report would result in a positive diagnosis given a positive parental diagnosis. This probability increased to 88% if "broad" teacher diagnoses of ADHD, defined by 35% of the 14 DSM-III-R symptoms, were included. Conclusions: In clinically-referred children, a clinical diagnosis of ADHD based on parent report is likely to be corroborated by a teacher report.

Download Full-text