scholarly journals Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Co-morbidities in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Literature Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clémence Bougeard ◽  
Françoise Picarel-Blanchot ◽  
Ramona Schmid ◽  
Rosanne Campbell ◽  
Jan Buitelaar
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Sleep Disorders ◽  
Hearing Impairment ◽  
Depressive Disorders ◽  
The United States ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Clear Understanding

Objective: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder often present somatic and/or psychiatric co-morbid disorders. The DSM-5 allows for consideration of additional diagnoses besides ASD and may have impacted the prevalence of co-morbidities as well as being limited in capturing the true differences in prevalence observed between males and females. We describe the prevalence of ASD and frequently observed co-morbidities in children and adolescents (<18 years) in the United States and five European countries.Methods: Two systematic literature reviews were conducted in PubMed and Embase for the period 2014–2019 and focusing on the prevalence of ASD and nine co-morbidities of interest based on their frequency and/or severity: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), anxiety, depressive disorders, epilepsy, intellectual disability (ID), sleep disorders, sight/hearing impairment/loss, and gastro-intestinal syndromes (GI).Results: Thirteen studies on prevalence of ASD and 33 on prevalence of co-morbidities were included. Prevalence of ASD was 1.70 and 1.85% in US children aged 4 and 8 years respectively, while prevalence in Europe ranged between 0.38 and 1.55%. Additionally, current evidence is supportive of a global increase in ASD prevalence over the past years. Substantial heterogeneity in prevalence of co-morbidities was observed: ADHD (0.00–86.00%), anxiety (0.00–82.20%), depressive disorders (0.00–74.80%), epilepsy (2.80–77.50%), ID (0.00–91.70%), sleep disorders (2.08–72.50%), sight/hearing impairment/loss (0.00–14.90%/0.00–4.90%), and GI syndromes (0.00–67.80%). Studies were heterogeneous in terms of design and method to estimate prevalence. Gender appears to represent a risk factor for co-morbid ADHD (higher in males) and epilepsy/seizure (higher in females) while age is also associated with ADHD and anxiety (increasing until adolescence).Conclusion: Our results provide a descriptive review of the prevalence of ASD and its co-morbidities in children and adolescents. These insights can be valuable for clinicians and parents/guardians of autistic children. Prevalence of ASD has increased over time while co-morbidities bring additional heterogeneity to the clinical presentation, which further advocates for personalized approaches to treatment and support. Having a clear understanding of the prevalence of ASD and its co-morbidities is important to raise awareness among stakeholders.

scholarly journals Depression in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Children ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
pp. 112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa DeFilippis
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Rating Scales ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Comorbid Depression ◽  
Adolescents With Asd ◽  
Higher Functioning

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has a high rate of psychiatric comorbidity. The prevalence of comorbid depression seems to correlate with higher functioning forms of ASD and increasing age. Adolescence is a time when youth struggle with identity and interpersonal relationships, and a diagnosis of ASD further complicates this process. Adolescents with ASD may be more aware of the social communication deficits that come with the diagnosis than children with ASD, and it is theorized that higher functioning adolescents may experience this more acutely. While this may be true, the lack of reliable rating and diagnostic scales for depression in individuals with ASD makes it difficult to accurately measure rates of depression among individuals with more severe verbal deficits. While some research has focused on the prevalence of comorbid depression in children and adolescents with ASD and on the associated risk factors, there is very little evidence guiding treatment, including no empirical studies on psychopharmacology for depression in this population. Available evidence exists only in psychosocial approaches to treatment at this time and is mostly limited to adult studies. Current evidence will be presented in this review, including prevalence rates of depression in youth with ASD, various risk and protective factors, the use of diagnostic rating scales, and treatment studies. The lack of evidence supporting various treatment approaches will be highlighted, including challenges specific to the treatment of depression in ASD, which are not addressed in the current treatment studies in typically developing youth with depression.

Introduction to the Forum: Literacy in Autism—Across the Spectrum

2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-152
Author(s):  
Marleen F. Westerveld ◽  
Jessica Paynter
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Literacy Assessment ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
Children With Asd

Purpose The purpose of this article is to introduce the LSHSS Forum: Literacy in Autism—Across the Spectrum. The articles in this forum provide an overview of the current evidence related to literacy in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from preschool to adolescence and highlight the high literacy needs of this population. Method This introduction provides an overview of some of the reasons why children with ASD are at risk of persistent literacy difficulties and a summary of the six articles included in this forum. Conclusion More research is clearly needed to better understand which factors contribute to the high literacy needs in this population. For now, based on the best available evidence, the authors in this forum provide clear clinical implications that should be highly useful for speech-language pathologists and other professionals involved in literacy assessment and intervention for children and adolescents on the autism spectrum.

Oral health status of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review of case-control studies and meta-analysis

Autism ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 1047-1066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phoebe PY Lam ◽  
Rennan Du ◽  
Simin Peng ◽  
Colman PJ McGrath ◽  
Cynthia KY Yiu
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Oral Health Status ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Tooth Decay ◽  
Oral Diseases

Children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder are thought to be more vulnerable to oral diseases than typically developing individuals due to cariogenic dietary habits, self-injurious behaviors, and increased barriers to dental care services. This review aimed to summarize current evidence comparing the oral health status of people diagnosed with and without autism spectrum disorder. Study selection and screening, data extraction, risk of bias assessment, and quality-of-evidence evaluation was conducted using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation approach and performed independently by two reviewers. A total of 16 studies were found eligible for qualitative synthesis and 15 were included in quantitative analysis. When comparing children and adolescents diagnosed with and without autism spectrum disorder, significantly higher prevalence of bruxism was identified. Individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder were also found to have significantly lower salivary pH. However, no statistically significant differences in terms of caries prevalence and severity, oral hygiene and periodontal status, prevalence of malocclusion, dental traumatic injuries, as well as salivary flow rate and buffering capacity were found. The quality of evidence of each outcome was graded as very low mainly due to the overall high risk of bias, considerable heterogeneity, and imprecision. Lay Abstract Children and adolescents diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are thought to be more vulnerable to oral diseases than typically-developing individuals. This is due to their increased barriers to dental care services, self-harm behaviors and dietary habits that may favor tooth decay. In this review, we summarized the current evidence comparing the oral health status of children and adolescents diagnosed with and without ASD. After a systematic search in the literature, we found that the salivary pH of individuals diagnosed with ASD was significantly lower, but the results were not clinically significant that can increase their risks to tooth decay. We also found weak evidence suggesting a higher percentage of children and adolescents diagnosed with ASD having the habit of tooth grinding compared with their neurotypical counterparts. When comparing salivary flow rate, tooth decay, gum diseases, tooth malalignment and tooth trauma; no significant differences were found between the two groups. The findings did not suggest ASD as a predisposing factor to oral diseases: other factors including sugary diet and inadequate oral hygiene may play a more important role. We also call for further research to establish more concrete association between ASD and oral diseases.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, comorbid psychopathology, behaviour problems and gastrointestinal symptoms in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Geraldine Leader ◽  
Roisín Moore ◽  
June L. Chen ◽  
Aoife Caher ◽  
Sophia Arndt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Behaviour Problems ◽  
Adhd Symptoms ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Gi Symptoms ◽  
Comorbid Psychopathology

Abstract Objectives: The study aims to investigate attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, comorbid psychopathology and behaviour problems in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods: Parents of 147 children and adolescents with ASD aged 6–18 years completed the Conners 3 Parent-Short Form, Gastrointestinal Symptom Inventory, Behavior Problems Inventory-Short Form and Autism Spectrum Disorder-Comorbid for Children. Results: Fifty-six per cent of children and adolescents had a comorbid diagnosis of ADHD, yet over 70% presented with clinically significant ADHD symptoms. Forty per cent of participants received a diagnosis of ADHD before ASD and 25.6% received a diagnosis of ASD first. Relationships were found between ADHD symptoms and comorbid psychopathology, GI symptoms, and behaviour problems. Conclusions: The outcomes suggest that ADHD is being underestimated as a comorbid disorder of ASD. This may have implications on treatment and interventions for children and adolescents who have a diagnosis of both ASD and ADHD.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document