scholarly journals Autistic Traits and Empathy in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Co-occurring Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder/Autism Spectrum Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefania Aiello ◽  
David Vagni ◽  
Antonio Cerasa ◽  
Elisa Leonardi ◽  
Cristina Carrozza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Clinical Phenotype ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Autism Traits ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Comorbid Adhd

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are two of the most represented neurodevelopmental conditions in childhood. The diagnostic shift introduced by the DSM-5, allowing a combined diagnosis of ADHD and ASD, poses different clinical challenges related to diagnostic overshadowing, accuracy of clinical judgment and potential delay in an ASD diagnosis in children presenting with ADHD. Here we tried to disentangle the clinical phenotype and specificity of the two co-occurring conditions in relation to autism traits and empathy, by comparing children with ASD with and without comorbid ADHD with children presenting ADHD only and children with typical development. The child versions of the Autism Quotient (C-AQ) and Empathy Quotient (C-EQ) were administered to a total sample of 198 male children between 6 and 14 years old with age appropriate language skills and normal intelligence. Univariate analysis demonstrated no significant differences in the C-AQ total and subscale scores as well as the C-EQ between children with ASD and children with ASD + ADHD, while children with ADHD alone presented an intermediate phenotype between ASD and TD. Furthermore, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was applied to discriminate among the different phenotypes. We found that the C-AQ and C-EQ were accurate at distinguishing with satisfactory reliability between: (a) ASD vs. non- ASD (N-ASD) groups comprising both ADHD and TD children (Area Under the Curve AUC 88% for C-AQ and 81% for C-EQ); (b) ASD and TD (AUC 92% for C-AQ and 95% for C-EQ); (c) ASD and ADHD (AUC 80% for C-AQ and 68% for C-EQ). Our data confirm the reliability of the C-AQ and C-EQ as behavioral markers to differentiate ASD (regardless of comorbid ADHD) from an ADHD condition and TD. Interestingly, in our sample an ADHD condition does not increase the severity of the clinical phenotype in terms of autism traits distribution and empathy, suggesting that the psychological measures detected by the two quantitative instruments are independent of ADHD traits. This evidence will contribute to the translational efforts in developing better tailored treatments and preventive strategies.

scholarly journals Disorder-specific brain volumetric abnormalities in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder relative to Autism Spectrum Disorder

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. e0241856
Author(s):  
Ariadna Albajara Sáenz ◽  
Peter Van Schuerbeek ◽  
Simon Baijot ◽  
Mathilde Septier ◽  
Nicolas Deconinck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intracranial Volume ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Neurocognitive Profiles

The overlap/distinctiveness between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been increasingly investigated in recent years, particularly since the DSM-5 allows the dual diagnosis of ASD and ADHD, but the underlying brain mechanisms remain unclear. Although both disorders are associated with brain volumetric abnormalities, it is necessary to unfold the shared and specific volume abnormalities that could contribute to explain the similarities and differences in the clinical and neurocognitive profiles between ADHD and ASD. In this voxel-based morphometry (VBM) study, regional grey matter volumes (GMV) were compared between 22 children with ADHD, 18 children with ASD and 17 typically developing (TD) children aged 8 to 12 years old, controlling for age and total intracranial volume. When compared to TD children or children with ASD, children with ADHD had a larger left precuneus, and a smaller right thalamus, suggesting that these brain abnormalities are specific to ADHD relative to ASD. Overall, this study contributes to the delineation of disorder-specific structural abnormalities in ADHD and ASD.

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

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.

scholarly journals Inhibition in developmental disorders: A comparison of inhibition profiles between children with autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and comorbid symptom presentation

Autism ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 136236132095510
Author(s):  
Amanda Cremone-Caira ◽  
Katherine Trier ◽  
Victoria Sanchez ◽  
Brooke Kohn ◽  
Rachel Gilbert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Response Speed ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Children With Asd

Thirty to 80% of children with autism spectrum disorder also have symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Many children with autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder experience difficulties carrying out goal-directed behaviors, particularly when it comes to inhibiting responses. The aim of this study was to better understand the relative strengths and weaknesses across different measures of inhibition in children with autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder + attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and children who are typically developing. Inhibition of distracting information, motor responses, response speed, and selections with the potential for greater loss was measured in 155 school-aged children across these four groups. Results indicate that, for children with autism spectrum disorder + attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, inhibition varied across the different outcomes assessed. Relative to typically developing children, children with autism spectrum disorder + attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder showed greater difficulty inhibiting behavioral responses. Conversely, inhibition of distracting information and strategic slowing of response speed differed between the children with autism spectrum disorder + attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and those with either autism spectrum disorder or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Avoidance of potential losses did not significantly differ between the four groups. The unique pattern of inhibition abilities shown in the autism spectrum disorder + attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder group suggests the need for special consideration in the context of targeted intervention. Lay Abstract Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) also have symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Children with ASD and ADHD often experience difficulties with inhibition. This study had the goal of understanding inhibition in children with ASD, ADHD, ASD + ADHD, and children who are typically developing (TD) using tasks that measured several aspects of inhibition. Results indicate that children with ASD + ADHD had greater difficulty inhibiting behavioral responses than TD children. Children with ASD + ADHD also differed from children with ASD and with ADHD in their inhibition of distracting information and strategic slowing of response speed. The four groups did not differ in their avoidance of potential losses. Children with ASD + ADHD exhibit a unique profile of inhibition challenges suggesting they may benefit from targeted intervention matched to their abilities.

scholarly journals Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms Impair Adaptive and Social Function in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Liu ◽  
Luxi Wang ◽  
Shu Xie ◽  
Shixu Pan ◽  
Jingyi Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Adaptive Behavior ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Social Function ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Adhd Symptoms ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Comorbid Adhd

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often co-exists with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which may aggravate functional impairment. However, it is unclear how comorbid ADHD symptoms influence the adaptive behavior and social interaction deficits of children with ASD.Methods: The study enrolled 340 children (ranging from 2 to 14 years) with ASD, with comorbid ASD and ADHD, or with typical development (TD). A psychological evaluation involving adaptive behavior and social function was conducted using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, Second Edition (VABS-II) and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS).Results: There was a high prevalence of ADHD symptoms (46.6%) in children with ASD, and children with ASD + ADHD presented the worse profile of ASD symptoms. The ASD + ADHD group had higher scores on VABS and lower scores on SRS in comparison with the ASD alone group and TD group. The regression analysis revealed that ASD symptoms and ADHD symptoms were significantly associated with greater impairments in adaptive behavior and social function. The ADHD symptoms were responsible for an additional 0.8% of the variance in adaptive behavior, and 9.5% of the variance in social function.Conclusions: More severe ASD symptoms and greater impairment in adaptive function and social ability were found in children with ASD and comorbid ADHD, highlighting the need to identify ADHD comorbidities early on in children with ASD and to reduce their negative impact on functioning.

The Effect of Comorbid with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms on Face Encoding and Retrieving in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qi Chen ◽  
Zengjian Wang ◽  
Bin Wan ◽  
Qingxin Chen ◽  
Yu Jin
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Adhd Group ◽  
Adhd Symptoms ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Lower Accuracy

Abstract BackgroundVisuospatial working memory (VSWM) impairments were common in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, the detailed processing characteristics when facing face stimuli has not been studied. The present study aimed to explore the deficits of face encoding and retrieving, two processing periods of VSWM, in children with ASD. Furthermore, the influence of comorbid with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms and executive function (EF) on VSWM were discussed.MethodsA sample of 98 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). Social Responsive Scale (SRS) and Swanson, Nolan, Pelham-IV rating scales (SNAP-IV) were applied to measure autistic and ADHD-related symptoms. We employed face encoding and retrieving task to examine the ability of VSWM as well as Wisconsin Cart Sorting Test (WCST) to assess the EF.ResultsWe found that the children with ASD- exhibited lower accuracy in both face encoding and retrieving, while subjects with ASD + showed lower accuracy in the face retrieving. No evidence implied a deficit of VSWM in ADHD group. We also found diverse indices of EF contributed to the individuals’ differences of VSWM performance in different clinical groups: categories completed (CC) predicted the accuracy of face retrieving in ASD- group; perseverative responses errors (RPE) predicted the response time (RT) of face retrieving in ADHD and ASD + group; while failure to maintain set (FMS) and RPE predicted the RT of face encoding in ASD + group.LimitationsThe sample size is still small and the sample mainly comprised of intellectually able participants. Therefore, our findings should not be overinterpreted.ConclusionOur findings indicate that comorbid with ADHD symptoms and EF may modulate the deficit of face encoding in children with ASD. The study shed lights on the transdiagnostic neurocognitive basis and re-emphasize the importance of considering ADHD-comorbid condition in ASD.Qi Chen and Zengjian Wang contributed equally to this work as the joint first authors.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Autism Spectrum Disorder

2020 ◽  
pp. 158-176
Author(s):  
Karen Bearss ◽  
Aaron J. Kaat
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Adhd Symptoms ◽  
Functional Impairments ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Delayed Recognition

This chapter will review the available evidence on individuals with co-occurring diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This chapter contends that children diagnosed with both disorders (ASD+ADHD) are a subset of the ASD population that is at risk for delayed recognition of their ASD diagnosis, poor treatment response, and poorer functional outcomes compared to those with ASD without ADHD. Specifically, the chapter highlights the best estimates of the prevalence of the comorbidity, the developmental trajectory of people with co-occurring ASD and ADHD, how ADHD symptoms change across development, overlapping genetic and neurobiological risk factors, psychometrics of ADHD diagnostic instruments in an ASD population, neuropsychological and functional impairments associated with co-occurring ASD and ADHD, and the current state of evidence-based treatment for both ASD and ADHD symptoms. Finally, the chapter discusses fruitful avenues of research for improving understanding of this high-risk comorbidity so that mechanism-to-treatment pathways for ADHD in children with ASD can be better developed.

scholarly journals Medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in individuals with or without coexisting autism spectrum disorder: analysis of data from the Swedish prescribed drug register

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Viktoria Johansson ◽  
Sven Sandin ◽  
Zheng Chang ◽  
Mark J. Taylor ◽  
Paul Lichtenstein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Clinical Studies ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Prescribing Patterns ◽  
Adhd Medication ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Drug Register

Abstract Background Clinical studies found that medication for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is effective in coexisting autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but current research is based on small clinical studies mainly performed on children or adolescents. We here use register data to examine if individuals with ADHD and coexisting ASD present differences in the prescribing patterns of ADHD medication when compared to individuals with pure ADHD. Methods Data with information on filled prescriptions and diagnoses was retrieved from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register and the National Patient Register. We identified 34,374 individuals with pure ADHD and 5012 individuals with ADHD and coexisting ASD, aged between 3 and 80 years. The first treatment episode with ADHD medications (≥ 2 filled prescriptions within 90 days) and daily doses of methylphenidate during a 3-year period was measured. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated for the likelihood of being prescribed ADHD medication in individuals with and without ASD and Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to compare group differences in dose per day. Results Individuals with ADHD and coexisting ASD were less likely to start continuous treatment with ADHD medication (ADHD 80.5%; ADHD with ASD 76.2%; OR, 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.75-0.86), were less likely to be prescribed methylphenidate, and were more commonly prescribed second line treatments such as dexamphetamine, amphetamine, or modafinil. No group difference was observed for atomoxetine. In adults with ADHD and coexisting ASD, methylphenidate was prescribed in lower daily doses over three years as compared to individuals with pure ADHD. Conclusions The findings indicate that there are differences in the medical treatment of individuals with or without ASD. If these differences are due to different medication responses in ASD or due to other factors such as clinicians’ perceptions of medication effects in patients with ASD, needs to be further studied.

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