Abstract
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience internalizing and externalizing problems at higher rates than typically developing children, which could worsen social impairment. The present study compared impairment scores (social responsiveness scale, 2nd edition; SRS-2 scores) in 57 children (3–17 years, 82.5% male) with ASD, either with or without heightened levels of anxiety or ADHD symptoms, all per parent report. Children with heightened anxiety problems showed higher scores on four SRS-2 subscales (Social Cognition, Social Communication, Social Motivation, and Restricted Interests and Repetitive Behavior). Children with heightened ADHD traits showed higher scores on two subscales (Social Communication and Social Awareness). These findings suggest similarities and differences in how social deficits in ASD may worsen with anxiety or ADHD symptoms.
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Notes
Only a subsample of the children had IQ scores available (n = 44); however due to the nature of the assessments conducted, there is no clinical reason to expect that the children who completed IQ assessments cognitively differed from those who did not complete an IQ assessment. Additionally, the children who did and did not complete IQ assessments were compared on all demographic, anxiety symptom, ADHD symptom, and social impairment variables and did not differ. These 44 children were considered representative of the overall sample.
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Acknowledgments
This research was conducted through the Virginia Tech Center for Autism Research with support from Virginia Tech’s Institute for Society, Culture, and the Environment, Fralin Life Science Institute, and the College of Science. We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the parents and children who participated in this study, the clinicians of the VTCAR Assessment Database Team who administered the assessments and provided diagnoses, and the VTCAR Research Assistants who scored data.
Author Contributions
RSF conceived of the study and coordination of the manuscript, oversaw the editing process, and assisted in data collection; SMR conducted the statistical analyses, interpreted results, and assisted in writing and editing; JPF assisted with the analyses, writing, and editing of the manuscript; THO oversaw the paper completion; AS oversaw the paper completion, consulted on interpretation of results, oversaw collection of assessment data and maintained the assessment databases, and edited the manuscript in its entirety.
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Factor, R.S., Ryan, S.M., Farley, J.P. et al. Does the Presence of Anxiety and ADHD Symptoms Add to Social Impairment in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder?. J Autism Dev Disord 47, 1122–1134 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-3025-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-3025-9