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
. 2022 Dec;272(8):1481-1494.
doi: 10.1007/s00406-021-01362-9. Epub 2022 Jan 7.

ASD symptoms in adults with ADHD: a comparative study using ADOS-2

Wakaho Hayashi  1 , Yoichi Hanawa  2 , Nobuyuki Saga  2 , Dan Nakamura  2 , Akira Iwanami  2
Affiliations

ASD symptoms in adults with ADHD: a comparative study using ADOS-2

Wakaho Hayashi et al. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2022 Dec.

Abstract

In this study, we examined autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms in adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in comparison with normal controls using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2). Sixty-three adults with ADHD (mean age, 35.3 years; 38 men) and 31 controls (mean age, 38.7 years; 17 men) completed Module 4 of the ADOS-2, Autism Spectrum Quotient, Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scale, and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Third Edition. Adults with ADHD were not clinically diagnosed with ASD, and their ADHD diagnosis was based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition criteria. Between-group comparisons on the scoring patterns revealed significant ASD symptoms present in adults with ADHD, which was congruent with our previous study. Further, item level and correlation analyses showed the possibility that ASD symptoms in adult ADHD comprised of two distinct mechanisms, one qualitatively similar to ASD and the other arising from ADHD characteristics, highlighting the complex nature of ADHD-ASD symptom overlaps.

Keywords: ADOS-2; Adult; Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; Autism spectrum disorder; Comparative study.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association (2013) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 5th edn. American Psychiatric Association, Washington, DC - DOI
    1. Simonoff E, Pickles A, Charman T, Chandler S, Loucas T, Baird G (2008) Psychiatric disorders in children with autism spectrum disorders: prevalence, comorbidity, and associated factors in a population-derived sample. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 47:921–929. https://doi.org/10.1097/chi.0b013e318179964f - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ronald A, Simonoff E, Kuntsi J, Asherson P, Plomin R (2008) Evidence for overlapping genetic influences on autistic and ADHD behaviours in a community twin sample. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 49:535–542. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01857.x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ames C, White S (2011) Brief report: are ADHD traits dissociable from the autistic profile? Links between cognition and behavior. J Autism Dev Disord 41:357–363. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-010-1049-0 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Leyfer OT, Folstein SE, Bacalman S, Davis NO, Dinh E, Morgan J, Tager-Flusberg H, Lainhart JE (2006) Comorbid psychiatric disorders in children with autism: interview development and rates of disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 36:849–861. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0123-0 - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms