Trauma in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Autism, Intellectual Disability, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Hoover, Daniel W.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-49414-8_17

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 74 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, some studies also suggest that NDDs are underdiagnosed generally ( 29 ) and are frequently missed and undertreated in children with a history of childhood abuse or neglect ( 30 ). This is despite recent evidence to indicate that having a NDD increases the odds that a child will be exposed to maltreatment ( 31 ) and that, vice versa, children who have been maltreated are more likely to present with coexisting NDDs ( 32 ). Further exploration of the prevalence of NDDs among clinical samples early in the course of SMI is therefore essential to understanding the scale of diagnostic overshadowing which may be occurring amongst those with a history of maltreatment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Recruiting and exploring vulnerabilities among young people at risk, or in the early stages of serious mental illness (borderline personality disorder and first episode psychosis)

Gajwani

Wilson²,

Nelson³

et al. 2022

Front. Psychiatry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IntroductionMany gaps exist in our understanding of the developmental pathways to severe mental illness (SMI), including borderline personality disorder (BPD) and psychosis. However, those who have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are at an increased risk and there is evidence to suggest that one of the earliest markers is emotional dysregulation. An area which has received relatively less research attention is the role neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) play. The aim of this feasibility study was therefore to explore the clinical profiles of young people early in the course of SMI, including their profiles of ACEs, emotional regulation difficulties, borderline personality traits and NDDs.MethodsA cross-sectional study of young people (aged 15–25) at risk of SMI, currently being seen within NHS mental health services, was conducted. This included those with early symptoms of psychosis and/or BPD as assessed by diagnostic interview. Eligible participants self-completed a battery of sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological measures in the company of a researcher. This included assessments of: symptoms of NDDs; borderline pathology traits; ACEs; and difficulties in emotional regulation. Statistical analyses included Mann–Whitney U tests and multiple regression.ResultsOf the 118 potentially eligible participants who were referred, 48 were ultimately included in the study. Young people early in the course of SMI reported a high prevalence of ACEs and deficits in emotional regulation. In total, 79% met criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Emotional dysregulation was found to significantly mediate the association between both ACEs and the frequency of NDDs and borderline personality traits, however given the small sample size these results are preliminary in nature.ConclusionYoung people early in the course of SMI are at an increased risk of experiencing multiple childhood adversities and our results indicate a high prevalence of NDDs amongst them. Emotional dysregulation emerged as a potentially significant early marker of future clinical severity. We suggest that the clinical implications of our findings include routine screening for NDDs and ACEs and an increased recognition of the significance of emotional dysregulation. However, larger scale longitudinal studies are needed to investigate these preliminary findings further.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Recruiting and exploring vulnerabilities among young people at risk, or in the early stages of serious mental illness (borderline personality disorder and first episode psychosis)

Gajwani

Wilson²,

Nelson³

et al. 2022

Front. Psychiatry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Such immunometabolic changes can be permanent, leaving the still-developing child's brain particularly vulnerable (Perry 2002). These changes can lead to neurodevelopmental problems (Hoover 2020) and long-term effects on the adult brain (Orellana et al 2023). The persisting stress response, for example due to an abusive parent, not only increases the sensitivity of brain regions that usually regulate the stress response but also weakens neural connections (Cook et al 2009, Du et al 2019).…”

Section: Effects Of Trauma-induced Stress On the Brain's Structure An...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Early Psychological Trauma on Limbic System Structure and Function

Kılıç,

Saltoğlu,

Erdoğdu

2024

Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper aims to review the subtypes of childhood trauma and its effects on brain structures and function, especially the hippocampus and amygdala within the limbic system, in the context of clinical psychology. For this purpose, original articles published between 1996 and 2024 were systematically searched in major databases such as PubMed, PsycArticles, Web of Science, and Google Scholar using keywords such as early childhood trauma, psychological trauma, limbic system, hippocampus, amygdala, and neuroimaging. The articles were initially screened based on their titles, and those meeting the search criteria, including study population, investigated brain regions, and types of traumas, were further assessed for relevance. Ultimately, 136 articles were selected and discussed in this review. Trauma experiences in early life can have a significantly negative influence on a person's psychological health by causing neurodevelopmental impairments, especially in the limbic system. While it is understood that trauma influences how individuals think, behave, and feel, the results of neuroimaging studies reveal variations in the amygdala and hippocampus based on different trauma subtypes. These changes merit deeper investigation in future research to fully understand the reasons behind the diverse findings in existing literature.

show abstract

“…Despite children exposed to maltreatment being at higher risk of having neurodevelopmental disorders (Dinkler 2017;Hoover 2020), clinicians may be more likely to overlook neurodevelopmental disorders in children who have experienced adversity, possibly because their problems are assumed to be 'social' (Minnis 2021). This is beginning to change, and new resources are emerging to support parents caring for children with both ASD and attachment disorders.…”

Section: Playmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autism and attachment disorders – how do we tell the difference?

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SUMMARY Clinicians assessing children with autism are sometimes faced with a dilemma, especially if there is a definite or suspected history of abuse or neglect: is this autism or attachment disorder? This is important because the attachment disorders (reactive attachment disorder and disinhibited social engagement disorder) are thought to be caused by abuse or neglect, whereas autism is not. We discuss the Coventry Grid, a clinical tool aiming to aid differentiation between autism and attachment disorders. We examine the small body of empirical studies focusing on this differential diagnosis and find that the Coventry Grid can be regarded as an evidence-based tool. We also discuss preliminary findings regarding a relatively unstructured observational method involving two assessors who engage the child in jokes and playful social dilemmas, which might help clinicians elicit the information required to complete the Coventry Grid.

show abstract

Trauma in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Autism, Intellectual Disability, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Cited by 10 publications

References 74 publications

Recruiting and exploring vulnerabilities among young people at risk, or in the early stages of serious mental illness (borderline personality disorder and first episode psychosis)

Recruiting and exploring vulnerabilities among young people at risk, or in the early stages of serious mental illness (borderline personality disorder and first episode psychosis)

Effects of Early Psychological Trauma on Limbic System Structure and Function

Autism and attachment disorders – how do we tell the difference?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About