Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Dec 26;11(1):18.
doi: 10.3390/brainsci11010018.

Trait-Based Dimensions Discriminating Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and, Co-occurring ADHD/ASD

Artemios Pehlivanidis  1 , Katerina Papanikolaou  2 , Kalliopi Korobili  1 , Eva Kalantzi  1 , Vasileios Mantas  1 , Dimitra Pappa  1 , Charalambos Papageorgiou  1
Affiliations

Trait-Based Dimensions Discriminating Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and, Co-occurring ADHD/ASD

Artemios Pehlivanidis et al. Brain Sci. .

Abstract

This study assessed the co-occurrence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in newly diagnosed adults of normal intelligence and the contribution of trait-based dimensions deriving from the Barkley Adult ADHD Rating Scale-IV (BAARS-IV), the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), and the Empathy Quotient (EQ) to the differentiation of patients with ADHD, ASD, and ADHD/ASD. A total of 16.1% of patients with ADHD received a co-occurring ASD diagnosis, while 33.3% of patients with ASD received an ADHD diagnosis. Subjects with ADHD or ADHD/ASD had higher scores in all ADHD traits compared to ASD subjects. Compared to the ADHD group, the ASD group had AQ scores that were significantly greater, except for attention to detail. ADHD/ASD co-occurrence significantly increased the score of attention to detail. The total EQ score was greater in the ADHD group. In the stepwise logistic regression analyses, past hyperactivity, current inattention and impulsivity, attention switching, communication, imagination, and total EQ score discriminated ADHD patients from ASD patients. Attention to detail, imagination, and total EQ score discriminated ADHD cases from ADHD/ASD cases, while past hyperactivity and current impulsivity discriminated ASD subjects from ADHD/ASD subjects. Our findings highlight the importance of particular trait-based dimensions when discriminating adults with ADHD, ASD, and co-occurring ADHD/ASD.

Keywords: adults; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); autism spectrum disorder (ASD); self-report dimensions.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association . Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) 5th ed. American Psychiatric Publishing; Arlington, VA, USA: 2013.
    1. Howlin P., Taylor J.L. Addressing the need for high quality research on autism in adulthood. Autism. 2015;19:771–773. doi: 10.1177/1362361315595582. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kooij J.J.S., Bejerot S., Blackwell A., Caci H., Casas M., Carpentier P.J., Edvinsson D., Fayyad J., Foeken K., Fitzgerald M., et al. European consensus statement on diagnosis and treatment of adult ADHD: The European Network Adult ADHD. BMC Psychiatry. 2010;10:67. doi: 10.1186/1471-244X-10-67. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Fabio R.A., Capri T. The executive functions in a sample of Italian adults with ADHD: Attention, response inhibition and planning/organization. Mediterr. J. Clin. Psychol. 2017;5 doi: 10.6092/2282-1619/2017.5.1636. - DOI
    1. Kooij J.J.S., Bijlenga D., Salerno L., Jaeschke R., Bitter I., Balázs J., Thome J., Dom G., Kasper S., Filipe C.N., et al. Updated European Consensus Statement on diagnosis and treatment of adult ADHD. Eur. Psychiatry. 2019;56:14–34. doi: 10.1016/j.eurpsy.2018.11.001. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources