For the study’s findings, researchers from Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore examined the data of a cross-sectional, network-based survey of children between the ages 6 and 17 with ASD who were enrolled in the Interactive Autism Network between 2006 and 2013. Of the 3,319 children in the study, 1,503 (45.3 percent) also had ADHD.
Researchers discovered that children with ASD and ADHD had more than twice (or 2.2 times) the risk of anxiety disorder and 2.7 times the risk of other mood disorders. Researchers also found that these psychiatric conditions were more prevalent in older children.
Researchers and clinicians have long known that these disorders have overlapping features and can occur together, having negative developmental, cognitive, behavioral and functional implications.
“The takeaway from the study’s findings, and one that both parents of children with ASD and doctors need to keep in mind, is that managing these psychiatric disorders is a dual effort,” said Paul H. Lipkin, M.D., director of Medical Informatics and the Interactive Autism Network at Kennedy Krieger Institute. “That by working closely together in monitoring a child for anxiety and mood symptoms, we can ensure early diagnosis and treatment, which is key to preserving a child’s quality of life.”
This study enhances current research providing insights on the differences between children with just ASD versus those with ASD and ADHD. While the intricacies of the neuroscience and the etiology of ASD is not fully understood, this study can spur further researcher to the answer to this question.
Category(s):Anxiety, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism spectrum disorders
Source material from Psych Central