Prevalence and treatment of mental, behavioral, and developmental disorders in children with co-occurring autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A population-based study.
Myriam Casseus, Wun Jung Kim, Daniel B Horton
PMID 36644987WHAT IT FOUND
Children with both autism and ADHD have much higher rates of anxiety, depression, and conduct problems than those with either condition alone.
Despite this, they receive behavioral treatment at similar rates to children with autism only, while nearly three-quarters take psychotropic medication.
Key findings
01Children with co-occurring ASD and ADHD had significantly higher prevalence of anxiety, depression, and behavior or conduct problems compared to children with ASD alone or ADHD alone.
02Nearly three-quarters of children with co-occurring ASD and ADHD were taking psychotropic medication, compared to 15.6% of children with ASD without ADHD.
03Rates of behavioral treatment were similar between children with co-occurring ASD and ADHD and those with ASD alone, despite the co-occurring group having more comorbid behavior problems.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot determine if the co-occurring conditions cause the higher rates of comorbidities or if they are simply associated. All data, including diagnoses and treatment receipt, were parent-reported and not verified by clinical records, which may introduce recall or social desirability bias. The survey did not ask about behavioral treatment for children with ADHD alone, so comparisons of behavioral treatment access are limited to the ASD groups. Response rates were moderate (37.4% to 43.1%), which may introduce nonresponse bias despite statistical weighting.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study used public-use data from the National Survey of Children’s Health, which is funded and directed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that the lower reported prevalence of speech or language disorders in children with co-occurring ASD and ADHD means they have better communication skills. This finding contrasts with prior clinical studies and may reflect differences in how disorders were defined or reported in this specific survey, rather than a true clinical advantage.