Rates of comorbid symptoms in children with ASD,ADHD, and comorbid ASD and ADHD

The current diagnostic criteria do not allow co-diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). As a result, there has been little research on how these two disorders co-occur in the ASD population. The current study aimed to extend the literature in this area by examining comorbid rates in three different diagnostic groups (ASD, ADHD, and comorbid ASD + ADHD) using the Autism Spectrum Disorders-Comorbidity for Children (ASD-CC). Children with comorbid ASD and ADHD evinced higher rates of comorbid symptoms than children with ASD or ADHD alone. Additionally, children with comorbid ASD and ADHD endorsed more severe comorbid symptoms. Implications regarding these findings are discussed.     

TDA/H : intérêt de l’association entre pharmacothérapie et psychothérapie analytique ?

Interest in attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) is growing, as evidenced by the number of scientific publications on the topic, as well as by the number of requests for child psychiatric consultations to diagnose ADD. The current clinical consensus is the result of the long evolution of a historical dichotomy between advocates for an organogenetic or psychopathological etiology of the disorder. Today, we question whether a “double reading” is possible taking into consideration both neuro-developmental factors as well as psychopathological elements? The contribution of complexity theorists and developmental phenomenology could help to conceptualize the ADD/ADHD as a complex and multifactorial disorder, which would support a “transversal” therapeutic approach involving psychoanalytical and psychopharmacology. However, questions remain regarding the effectiveness of psychoanalytical therapy and its association with pharmacotherapy in treating ADHD – and there appears to be little evidence of its effectiveness in existing literature. Thus, the possibility of a future therapeutic consensus for ADHD could be expected.     

Expression phénotypique du TDAH en fonction de l’âge

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is considered as a developmental disorder, with inappropriate levels of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity, which typically emerge during preschool-age and often persist into adulthood, causing functional disability throughout the lifespan. ADHD and comorbid disorders symptoms variability depend on the age group affected. Developmental models of ADHD and assessment of phenotypic expression of ADHD according to age, offer new therapeutic and preventive issues in ADHD.     

The Heavy Burden of Psychiatric Comorbidity in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Large Comparative Study of a Psychiatrically Referred Population

The objective of the study was to systematically examine patterns of psychiatric comorbidity in referred youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) including autistic disorder and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. Consecutively referred children and adolescents to a pediatric psychopharmacology program were assessed with structured diagnostic interview and measures of psychosocial functioning. Comparisons were made between those youth satisfying diagnostic criteria for ASD and age and sex matched youth without ASD referred to the same clinical program. 9.3% (217/2323) of the referred youth (age range: 3–17 years) met DSM-III-R criteria for ASD. ASD youth suffered from significantly higher number of comorbid disorders than comparisons (6.4 ± 2.7 vs. 5.2 ± 2.9; p < 0.001). Ninety-five percent of the youth with ASD had three or more comorbid psychiatric disorders and 74% had five or more comorbid disorders. ASD youth were also more functionally impaired and required extra-assistance in school and therapeutic interventions at higher rates than age and sex matched non-ASD referred youth. Youth with ASD have high levels of psychiatric comorbidity and dysfunction comparable to the referred population of youth without ASD. These findings emphasize the heavy burden of psychiatric comorbidity afflicting youth with ASD and may be important targets for intervention.     

Children with autism spectrum disorder comorbid with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder examined by the Wisconsin card sorting test: Analysis by age-related differences

The DSM-5 confirmed that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) might be comorbid with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study investigated the executive function of ASD comorbid with ADHD (ASD + ADHD), ASD, and typically developed (TD) children using the Keio version of the modified Wisconsin card sorting test (KWCST). Children with ASD + ADHD (n = 43), ASD (n = 69), and TD (n = 69) were examined in two age groups: 5–9 years and 10–15 years. Both of the younger clinical groups showed significantly unfavorable scores for many indices in the second step compared to the TD group. As for the older groups, the ASD children showed significantly unfavorable scores in total errors in the second step, while the ASD + ADHD children did not show significant differences in either step. However, some index scores of the two older clinical groups were comparable to the older TD group in the second step. For the cognitive differences between clinical groups, the younger ASD + ADHD showed unfavorable scores in numbers of response cards until the first category achieved in the second step, while the older ASD showed unfavorable scores in categories achieved and perseverative errors of Nelson in the first step. For the degree of improvements in the second step, the older groups did not show significant group differences, while the younger ASD group showed significantly fewer improvements compared to the TD group. Based on these results, it is presumed that younger ASD + ADHD individuals are not sufficiently able to sustain attention and/or memory, and that the older ASD patients have difficulty in terms of flexibility.     

Hyperactivité chez l'enfant : réflexions sur les mécanismes psychopathologiques sous-jacents

Requests for consultations in child psychiatry for cases of hyperactivity with or without attention deficit disorder (ADHD) have increased markedly in the last few years. Hyperactivity is presently the most frequently occurring psychopathological disorder in young children. This change could be linked to the mediatisation of this disorder and to a lowering of the threshold of tolerance to behavior disorders and externalized conduct in a 'hyper-controlled' society. We could also question the subjective character of this poorly defined clinical entity about which there is no strict consensus. Thus, early detection of troubles which would allow us to diagnose hyperactivity before the age of four also beg the question of comorbid diagnoses (oppositional behavior or aggressiveness) and above all questions the interactive system in which the young child is developing. The Anglo-Saxon approach tends to consider hyperactivity as a complete syndromic entity (this is encouraged by the diagnostic criteria - essentially behavioral - of the DSM IV), favoring an organic approach (due to the importance of genetic inheritability). The European approach, the minority approach, does not dissociate the problem from its environmental context and pays more attention to affective problems, to the structuring of the personality and to inter-family relations. This second approach will be developed by the authors, giving preference to two stages, on the one hand (1) that of the process of separation - individuation, symbolization and socialization, and on the other hand, (2) that of the establishment of the process of secondary narcissism, of the role of psychic instances which are the ego ideal, the ideal ego and the superego. They will also consider (3) societal evolution and the functioning of the family, shedding light on the maternal or paternal role in the genesis of problems of hyperactivity. These clinical considerations lead the authors to suggest a distinction between two types of clinical hyperactivity which they will discuss based on their practices and on the literature: 1)“Hyperactivity with early behavioral problems, due mainly to the problematics of separation” and 2) “Attention problems with hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulties at school, due mainly to narcissistic problems.” These two types can be said to correspond in some way to the categorical forms of ADD and ADHD (according to the criteria of the DSM IV): 1) Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type and 2) Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Predominantly Inattentive Type. They are also akin to the findings of various authors who have attempted to reveal the particularities of anxious hyperactive subjects as compared to non-anxious hyperactive subjects, or of behavioral hyperactivity as compared to cognitive hyperactivity. Several principles of therapeutic treatment will be referred to for each clinical type.     

Autistic spectrum disorder,attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,and psychiatric comorbidities: A nationwide study

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are both frequently comorbid with other psychiatric disorders, but the comorbid effect of ASD and ADHD relative to the comorbid risk of other psychiatric disorders is still unknown. Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, 725 patients with ASD-alone, 5694 with ADHD-alone, 466 with ASD + ADHD, and 27,540 (1:4) age-/gender-matched controls were enrolled in our study. The risk of psychiatric comorbidities was investigated. The ADHD + ASD group had the greatest risk of developing schizophrenia (hazard ratio [HR]: 95.89; HR: 13.73; HR: 174.61), bipolar disorder (HR: 74.93; HR: 19.42; HR: 36.71), depressive disorder (HR: 17.66; HR: 12.29; HR: 9.05), anxiety disorder (HR: 49.49; HR: 50.92; HR: 14.12), disruptive behavior disorder (HR: 113.89; HR: 93.87; HR: 26.50), and tic disorder (HR: 8.95; HR: 7.46; HR: 4.87) compared to the ADHD-alone, ASD-alone, and control groups. Patients with ADHD + ASD were associated with the greatest risk of having comorbid bipolar disorder, depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, disruptive behavior disorder, and tic disorder. The diagnoses of ASD and ADHD preceded the diagnoses of other psychiatric comorbidities. A comprehensive interview scrutinizing the psychiatric comorbidities would be suggested when encountering and following patients with both ASD and ADHD in clinical practice.     

Trouble déficit d’attention/hyperactivité (TDA/H) et émotions : de la labilité émotionnelle au trouble bipolaire

This article aims to review the literature about emotional symptoms associated with ADHD. Emotional symptoms are frequent in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and range from mild/moderate to severe emotional lability, but are not specific to ADHD. Severe emotional lability in ADHD patients or association between emotional under-control and mood symptoms should urge clinicans to screen for co-occurring oppositional defiant disorder, mood disorders (depressive disorders, bipolar disorder) and disruptive mood dysregulation disorder. Although this latter diagnosis still lacks validity and may be difficult to differentiate from severe oppositionality in ADHD patients, it will draw attention to the emotional aspects of disruptive behavior disorders and the need to implement specific treatments for emotional hyperreactivity and under control. A better understanding of the relationships between behavior and mood and of the role of environmental stressors is needed to improve prevention of full-blown mood disorders in children with ADHD and emotional lability.     

A comparison of tantrum behavior profiles in children with ASD,ADHD and comorbid ASD and ADHD

The present study was conducted to compare rates of tantrum behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) (n = 255), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (n = 40) and children with comorbid ASD and ADHD (n = 47). Parents/guardians of children aged 3–16 years were surveyed about their children's behaviors using the Autism Spectrum Disorders-Comorbidity for Children (ASD-C-C). Children with ADHD alone differed from children with ASD alone and children with comorbid ASD and ADHD on rates of tantrum behaviors. Examination of individual tantrum behavior items indicated that children with comorbid ASD and ADHD have a more similar symptom presentation to children with ASD than children with ADHD. This study adds to the literature on the presentation of common co-occurring behaviors of ASD when there is comorbid ADHD. The implications of these findings may aid in the assessment and treatment of tantrum behaviors in children with comorbid ASD and ADHD.     

TDAH et comorbidités en pédopsychiatrie. Pathologies psychiatriques,affections médicales,troubles de l’apprentissage et de la coordination

ADHD is a common disorder for children and is highly comorbid with a number of psychiatric and somatic disorders, which leads to important social consequences. Therefore, it is important to screen for the presence of other disorders when a diagnosis of ADHD is considered. Because of the associated pathologies, the clinical picture of the ADHD is more complex and represents a diagnostic challenge. Furthermore, the prognostic and the future of children with a comorbid ADHD is much more unfavorable than that of children with ADHD only. It is thus necessary to recognize the presentation of ADHD associated with various and frequently comorbid pathologies knowing that those will change according to age and the developmental stage. The objective of this article is to describe these comorbidities. We are going to discuss pathologies most often associated with ADHD and the impact of its symptomatology on psychiatric disorders, medical affections and other disorders such as learning disorder and developmental coordination disorder. Along these lines, we carried out a mini review of ADHD and comorbidities. Results showed that comorbid psychiatric disorders such as conduct disorders, mood disorders and anxiety are among the most frequently associated with ADHD in clinical practice. Disruptive disorders are the most common comorbidities found with ADHD. Among these disorders, oppositional defiant disorder must be distinguished from conduct disorders. Conduct disorders are highly comorbid with ADHD (in more than a third of the cases) and increase the severity of the clinical picture. When children show at the same time ADHD and a conduct disorder, they are at risk to have an antisocial personality disorder as well as addictive disorders in adulthood. Depressive disorders can be triggered by ADHD since these young patients have to face numerous failures and difficulties in their family, social and school lives. With respect to bipolar disorders, links exist with ADHD. Bipolar disorder and ADHD treatment is complex: both thymoregulators and medication of ADHD are necessary. Finally, anxiety disorders are concomitant in 33 % of ADHD children, an association which deteriorates the symptoms of inattention and distractibility. Furthermore, there is also some overlap between ADHD and addictive behavior, obsessive-compulsive disorder, tics, sleeping disorder and specific learning disorder. There is a high prevalence of the association between ADHD and addictive behaviors in connection with impulsiveness, lack of control, automedication and similarity in the neurobiological circuits. Children with an obsessive-compulsive disorder have ADHD in 33 % of the cases. Although treatments of ADHD and obsessive-compulsive disorder differ, they must be taken simultaneously. It seems that sleeping disorders are not co-occurring with ADHD but intrinsic. Besides, sleeping disorders during childhood can mime an ADHD and complicate the diagnosis to be established, in particular when restless legs syndrome or sleep apnea is present. The comorbidity of ADHD and specific learning disorders is high. Children with specific learning disorders have difficulties staying attentive and their academic performance is often below their full potential, just like the ADHD children. Therefore, clinicians who assess patients for ADHD have to systematically screen for the presence of specific learning disorders and vice versa. Likewise, autistic spectrum disorder and eating disorder are more and more recognized as comorbid entities. The DSM-IV made impossible the concomitance between autism spectrum disorders and ADHD. However, the DSM-5 did recognize the existence of this comorbidity. The association of those two pathologies results in more severe dysfunction for the children, but the treatment of ADHD is going to facilitate the medical care of autism spectrum disorders. ADHD is described as a risk factor for eating disorders. Besides, the co-occurrence of obesity with ADHD is connected to impulsiveness and the tendency to addictive behaviors. Relationships of ADHD with posttraumatic stress disorder and attachment disorder have also been noted. Similarities between ADHD and posttraumatic stress disorder can cause diagnostic errors. Indeed, for both disorders we find the following: agitation, irritability, hypervigilance, sleeping disorders, attention disorders and disorders in the executive functions. Therefore, during the assessment of a child with a clinical picture of ADHD, anamnesis must be completed with the search of traumatic events. On the other hand, attachment disorder can also be confused with ADHD. Difficult temperament can disrupt the process of attachment and is associated with a bigger risk of ADHD. Finally, other medical issues should be considered in the assessment of ADHD: brain injury, epilepsy and obesity for example. ADHD children with a co-occurring condition may be severely impaired and treatment is more complex. ADHD is strongly comorbid with a large number of psychiatric and physical pathologies. It is probably more a set of affections than a homogeneous clinical entity. The longitudinal studies of children with one or several comorbidities showed that the outcome of these children was unfavorable, the association of pathologies causing an important dysfunction. The explanations proposed for this strong tendency of comorbidity with ADHD are that comorbidities have the same risk factors (genetic and environmental) and/or that one of the disorder is a subcategory of another. This leads us to conclude that a better comprehension of the high rates of comorbidities with ADHD is essential to optimize treatment of this condition and prevent some of the negative outcomes associated with comorbid ADHD.     

Visual search in ADHD,ASD and ASD + ADHD: overlapping or dissociating disorders?

Recent debates in the literature discuss commonalities between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at multiple levels of putative causal networks. This debate requires systematic comparisons between these disorders that have been studied in isolation in the past, employing potential markers of each disorder to be investigated in tandem. The present study, choose superior local processing, typical to ASD, and increased Intra-Subject Variability (ISV), typical to ADHD, for a head-to-head comparison of the two disorders, while also considering the comorbid cases. It directly examined groups of participants aged 10–13 years with ADHD, ASD with (ASD+) or without (ASD−) comorbid ADHD and a typically developing (TD) group (total N = 85). A visual search task consisting of an array of paired words was designed. The participants needed to find the specific pair of words, where the first word in the pair was the cue word. This visual search task was selected to compare these groups on overall search performance and trial-to-trial variability of search performance (i.e., ISV). Additionally, scanpath analysis was also carried out using Recurrence Quantification Analysis (RQA) and the Multi-Match Model. Results show that only the ASD− group exhibited superior search performance; whereas, only the groups with ADHD symptoms showed increased ISV. These findings point towards a double dissociation between ASD and ADHD, and argue against an overlap between ASD and ADHD.

     

Psychometric properties of the French Version of the Social Responsiveness Scale in autism spectrum disorder with or without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

ObjectivesThe Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) is an instrument that is commonly used to screen for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) frequently occurs with ASD and both disorders share some phenotypic similarities. In the present study, we aimed to determine the psychometric properties of the French version of the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and its 5 subscales (social awareness, social cognition, social communication, social motivation, and autistic mannerisms) to discriminate between children with ADHD and those with ASD (differential diagnosis) and children with ADHD from those with a dual diagnosis of ADHD and ASD (comorbid diagnosis).MethodSRS total scores and the 5 subscores of the SRS were compared between 4 groups of children: ADHD (n = 32), ASD + ADHD (n = 30), ASD (n = 31) and typical neurodevelopment (TD; n = 30) children. The discriminant validity was estimated using the Area Under the ROC Curves (AUC).ResultsSRS Social cognition (AUC = 0.73) and Autistic mannerisms (AUC = 0.70) subscores were the most discriminating for differential diagnosis of ASD and ADHD. SRS total scores (AUC = 0.70), and Social communication (AUC = 0.66) and Autistic mannerisms (AUC = 0.75) subscores were the most discriminating for comorbid diagnosis of ASD among ADHD children.ConclusionThe SRS autistic mannerisms subscore was found to be clinically relevant for both differential diagnosis of ASD and ADHD and comorbid diagnoses of ASD among ADHD children but with a modest discriminant power.     

Le modèle du tempérament et du caractère de Cloninger appliqué dans le trouble bipolaire de l’adulte : recension de la littérature d’une approche tempéramentale

Context

Although psychiatric research uses clear diagnostic criteria to describe bipolar disorders, therapists in clinical practice are often confronted with patients presenting a number of symptoms with different degrees of intensity and belonging to more than one diagnostic category. With respect to this actual clinical complexity, there is an increasing interest in a dimensional approach of psychopathological traits to gain better understanding of mental disorders. In the 1980s, Robert Cloninger elaborated on a psychobiological model to explain personality in clinical groups as well as in general population. His model was then operationalised with a questionnaire evaluating temperament (harm avoidance, novelty seeking, reward dependence and persistence) and character (self-directeness, cooperativeness, self-transcendence): the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI).

Objective

To review all studies conducted in adult bipolar samples on temperament and character according to Cloninger's psychobiological model.

Materials and methods

A search was conducted on MedLine and PsycInfo for all articles written in English or French, between 1986 and September 2008, on temperament and character in bipolar disorder. The words bipolar disorder or mania had to be associated with the following keywords temperament, TCI, Cloninger, TPQ, harm avoidance, novelty seeking, reward dependence.

Results

Across studies, compared to the general population, bipolar subjects have significantly higher harm avoidance, higher novelty seeking and lower self-directness. Some studies have investigated differences between bipolar disorders and other psychopathologies like depression, and borderline personality disorder. Among studies on depression and bipolar disorder, there is no consensus on the findings. Compared to borderline personality disorder patients, bipolar disorder subjects have lower harm avoidance and higher self-directness and cooperativeness. This finding is consistent with Cloninger's hypothesis that all personality disorders have lower self-directness than any axis I disorder. With respect to other temperament and character traits, studies yielded results either contradictory or non-significant. No difference was found when the bipolar group was subdivided according to the clinical presentation (type I vs II) and the suicidal risk, apart from harm avoidance. Bipolar subjects with substance related disorders displayed higher novelty seeking and lower persistence, which might be explained by a low dopaminergic activity that had to be compensated with drug intake. Low persistence causes greater difficulties to overcome substance dependence. However, it is not possible to determine whether these temperament characteristics are specifically linked to bipolar disorder, substance related disorders, or both. Similar limitations apply to bipolar patients with comorbid anxiety disorders, who presented higher harm avoidance and lower self-directness.

Conclusions

Across studies, there are limitations which impede the generalization of the findings to other clinical populations. Age, gender, cultural characteristics, mood status during evaluation, group size, versions of the TCI questionnaire, suicidal risk, clinical type (BP I vs II) and comorbidity differ from one study to another. These methodological variables should be controlled in future studies. Nevertheless, adult bipolar patients appear to present a different temperamental profile than other clinical groups and general population. Therefore, Cloninger's psychobiological model of temperament remains an interesting avenue for future researches in bipolar disorder.     

Le trouble déficit de l’attention/hyperactivité à l’âge adulte : concept, tableau clinique, stratégies diagnostiques et thérapeutiques

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was considered, for a long time, as a disorder affecting children and adolescents, and was most often identified in the early development. It was less known that ADHD can be found in adults. Several arguments (clinics, neuropsychology, neuroanatomy, genetics, longitudinal studies and pharmacology) confirm that ADHD persists in adulthood for most of children and should be still treated, as long as the disorder leads to impairments. Nevertheless, ADHD in adults is considerably misdiagnosed in France. In fact, this can be explained by controverse, by its difficulty to be diagnosed, by a lack of consideration of developmental aspects… Diagnosis is based on clinical aspects, developmental and familial histories, adaptative strategies and functional alteration. Clinical interview put forward particularities in adulthood: decreasing (or change) of hyperactivity and impulsivity, persistance of attentional deficit, increasing of dysexecutive syndrome because demands in planification, social relationships and emotional management are often higher when people grow up. Several domains can be impaired: raising children, driving cars, working, taking care of themselves, daily managing… One of the most difficult issue about adult ADHD concerns criteriology. Although some authors (Wender, Hallowell and Ratey) have developped criteria based on more specific features of adulthood than those described in DSM-IV, criteria have still to be discussed: age-of-onset, number of symptoms required… Assesment scales can help clinicians to evaluate ADHD symptoms and impairments of their adult patients. Main scales are: Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scale (CAARS) and Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) for detection, ADHD behaviour checklist and ADHD rating scale IV for diagnosis, Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) for retrospective diagnosis in childhood and Brown Attention Deficit Disorder Scale for a better evaluation of executive functions. This evaluation should be completed by neuropsychological testing. The results can confirm the diagnosis and guide the treatment according to the neuropsychological profile. The more salient tasks for the diagnosis of adult ADHD seem to be: Continuous Performance Test (CPT) for selective and sustained attention, Trail making Test part B for cognitive flexibility, Stroop color/word interference test for inhibition capacity, verbal fluency and processing speed in WAIS-R. It is thus extremely important: (i) to recognize that ADHD affects also adults, at high rate (4% of general population), (ii) to keep in mind that developmental particularities make the disorder more “cognitive” than “behavioral”, (iii) to clarify the link between adult ADHD and the others psychiatric disorders, especially bipolar disorder, (iv) and to know that most of the adults with ADHD can be successfully treated by psychostimulants and psychotherapy, as in childhood. In France, only few teams evaluate ADHD in adulthood. So, one of the purpose of our article is to enable a better consideration of adult ADHD in our country.     

Serum protein profiling and proteomics in autistic spectrum disorder using magnetic bead-assisted mass spectrometry

The pathophysiology of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is not fully understood and there are no diagnostic or predictive biomarkers. Proteomic profiling has been used in the past for biomarker research in several non-psychiatric and psychiatric disorders and could provide new insights, potentially presenting a useful tool for generating such biomarkers in autism. Serum protein pre-fractionation with C8-magnetic beads and protein profiling by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation-time of flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-ToF-MS) were used to identify possible differences in protein profiles in patients and controls. Serum was obtained from 16 patients (aged 8–18) and age-matched controls. Three peaks in the MALDI-ToF-MS significantly differentiated the ASD sample from the control group. Sub-grouping the ASD patients into children with and without comorbid Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD (ASD/ADHD+ patients, n = 9; ASD/ADHD− patients, n = 7), one peak distinguished the ASD/ADHD+ patients from controls and ASD/ADHD− patients. Our results suggest that altered protein levels in peripheral blood of patients with ASD might represent useful biomarkers for this devastating psychiatric disorder.     

Facteurs de risque précoces et trajectoires développementales du trouble déficit de l’attention/hyperactivité (TDAH)

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with a set of early genetic and environmental risk factors. Genetic risk factors, of which existence is supported by genetically informed (i.e. Twin) and molecular studies, are yet partially identified. They do not constitute diagnostic markers or therapeutic targets for preventive interventions. Early environmental risk factors exist and could represent targets for early interventions. However, their causal nature is not determined yet. In addition, early environmental risk factors are distal factors compared with later risk factors, which makes difficult the understanding of their direct links with the ADHD phenotype. Developmental trajectories of ADHD are interesting to study in order to take into account the dimensional and developmental nature of ADHD. Investigating the link between early risk factors and developmental trajectories could allow a better understanding of their interactions along time. The experiment of preventive interventions of ADHD could lead to disentangle mechanisms and provide new tools to treat ADHD.     

Neurophysiological responses to faces and gaze direction differentiate children with ASD,ADHD and ASD + ADHD

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) demonstrate face processing abnormalities that may underlie social impairment. Despite substantial overlap between ASD and ADHD, ERP markers of face and gaze processing have not been directly compared across pure and comorbid cases. Children with ASD (n = 19), ADHD (n = 18), comorbid ASD + ADHD (n = 29) and typically developing (TD) controls (n = 26) were presented with upright/inverted faces with direct/averted gaze, with concurrent recording of the P1 and N170 components. While the N170 was predominant in the right hemisphere in TD and ADHD, children with ASD (ASD/ASD + ADHD) showed a bilateral distribution. In addition, children with ASD demonstrated altered response to gaze direction on P1 latency and no sensitivity to gaze direction on midline-N170 amplitude compared to TD and ADHD. In contrast, children with ADHD (ADHD/ASD + ADHD) exhibited a reduced face inversion effect on P1 latency compared to TD and ASD. These findings suggest children with ASD have specific abnormalities in gaze processing and altered neural specialisation, whereas children with ADHD show abnormalities at early visual attention stages. Children with ASD + ADHD are an additive co-occurrence with deficits of both disorders. Elucidating the neural basis of the overlap between ASD and ADHD is likely to inform aetiological investigation and clinical assessment.     

Differential Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder by Means of Inhibitory Control and ‘Theory of Mind’

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) are both associated with deficits in executive control and with problems in social contexts. This study analyses the variables inhibitory control and theory of mind (ToM), including a developmental aspect in the case of the latter, to differentiate between the disorders. Participants with an ASD (N = 86), an ADHD (N = 84) and with both disorders (N = 52) in the age range of 5–22 years were compared. Results were differences in inhibitory control (ADHD < ASD) and in the ToM performance among younger (ASD < ADHD) but not among older children. We discuss whether common deficits in ToM differ in the developmental course.     

Trouble déficit de l'attention-hyperactivité de l'enfant et l'adolescent : du diagnostic à la prise en charge

What is the scientific evidence to support ADHD as a disorder? What are the risks of the use of stimulant medication? These questions are frequently discussed and often with passion. The objective of this article is to present the conclusions and recommendations relative to these questions. The International Diagnosis criteria retained are those of DSM-IV which describe three subtypes of ADHD : ADHD primarily of the inattentive type ; primarily of the hyperactive-impulsive type and a combined type. Establishing a diagnosis of ADHD requires a rigorous strategy, and it should be operated by stages: one to receive requests, one to collect information, and one to confirm the diagnosis. The use of scale is a clinical option but cannot be a substitute to clinical diagnosis. A therapeutic approach must combine several modes of intervention such as the use of stimulants and psychosocial treatment. The treatment will have to be revised regularly according to beneficial effects.     

Rehabilitation issues in Landau–Kleffner Syndrome

Abstract

Objective: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been linked to deficits in socialization and communication, similar to those observed in children with ASD. In the present study, we examine the differences in developmental quotient and subscale scores between children with ASD and children with ADHD.

Methods: We compared the developmental scores in a sample of 2990 children who presented to an early intervention program, who met criteria for ASD, inattentive ADHD, hyperactive/impulsive ADHD, combined ASD/ADHD, or are at risk for developmental disorders.

Results: The overall developmental quotient did not significantly differ between those in the ADHD inattentive and hyperactive subtype groups. Adaptive skills differed most greatly between the ASD groups and the ADHD/atypically-developing groups.

Conclusion: The present study represents a first step towards understanding the relationship of ADHD to ASD in early childhood. Young children with ASD symptoms are more greatly impaired than those with symptoms of ADHD.