Inattention and hyperactive/impulsive component scores do not differentiate between autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in a clinical sample

Abstract

Background: Although there is high co-occurrence between ASD and ADHD, the nature of this co-occurrence remains unclear. Our study aimed to examine the underlying relationship between ASD and ADHD symptoms in a combined sample of children with a primary clinical diagnosis of ASD or ADHD. Methods: Participants included children and youth (aged 3-20 years) with a clinical diagnosis of ASD (n = 303) or ADHD (n = 319) for a total of 622 participants. Parents of these children completed the social communication questionnaire (SCQ), a measure of autism symptoms, and the strengths and weaknesses of ADHD and normal behavior (SWAN) questionnaire, a measure of ADHD symptoms. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on combined SCQ and SWAN items, followed by a profile analysis comparing normalized component scores between diagnostic groups and gender. Results: PCA revealed a four-component solution (inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, social-communication, and restricted, repetitive, behaviors, and interests (RRBI)), with no overlap between SCQ and SWAN items in the components. Children with ASD had higher component scores in social-communication and RRBI than children with ADHD, while there was no difference in inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive scores between diagnostic groups. Males had higher scores than females in social-communication, RRBI, and hyperactivity/impulsivity components in each diagnostic group.

Pediatric dentists’ perspectives of children with special health care needs in Japan: developmental disabilities, phobia, maltreatment, and multidisciplinary collaboration

“…As for impulsivity and hyperactivity, some participants considered those symptoms stemmed from ASD, and other participants considered ADHD. Previous research revealed that one group of children with diagnosed ASD and the other group of ADHD had similar impulsivity and hyperactivity scores, although ASD group showed significantly higher scores in social communication deficits and repetitive behaviours [35]. Participants' remarks based on clinical experiences might prove current research trends on ASD and ADHD's comorbidity.…”

Assessing the validity of administrative health data for the identification of children and youth with autism spectrum disorder in Ontario

“…A particular challenge to the use of these data for the identification of individuals with ASD is that ASD is one of a series of neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., ADHD and OCD) that share common traits (Krakowski et al, 2020; Kushki et al, 2019; Taurines et al, 2012), and etiology (Cross‐Disorder Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, 2013; Faraone & Larsson, 2019; Gonzalez‐Mantilla, Moreno‐De‐Luca, Ledbetter, & Martin, 2016; Lowther et al, 2017; Zarrei et al, 2019), frequently co‐occurring within individuals (Lai et al, 2019). A recent meta‐analysis found that 28% of individuals with ASD also have ADHD and 9% have OCD (Lai et al, 2019).…”

Pediatric dentists’ perspectives of children with special health care needs in Japan: developmental disabilities, phobia, maltreatment, and multidisciplinary collaboration

“…As for impulsivity and hyperactivity, some participants considered those symptoms stemmed from ASD, and other participants considered ADHD. Previous research revealed that one group of children with diagnosed ASD and the other group of ADHD had similar impulsivity and hyperactivity scores, although ASD group showed significantly higher scores in social communication deficits and repetitive behaviours [31]. Participants' remarks based on clinical experiences might prove current research trends on ASD and ADHD's comorbidity.…”