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