Are Autistic Traits in Youth Meaningful? A Replication study in Non-referred Siblings of Youth with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Authors

  • Joseph Biederman Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
  • Maura Fitzgerald Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Stephen V. Faraone SUNY Upstate Medical University, University of Bergen
  • Ronna Fried Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
  • K. Yvonne Woodworth Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Alexandra Saunders Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Kristina Conroy Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Gagan Joshi Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Keywords:

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autistic trait (AT), youth

Abstract

Background: We previously described the high prevalence and burden of significant autistic traits (ATs) in youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These traits are associated with significantly greater impairment in psychopathological, interpersonal, educational, and neuropsychological functioning. Because the sample consisted of referred ADHD youth, uncertainty remained regarding whether these findings are generalizable to non-referred populations of youths with and without ADHD. Objective: The aim of the current study was to assess the prevalence and implications of ATs in a non-referred population of siblings of probands with and without ADHD. Method: Participants were non-referred siblings of probands with ADHD (N = 257) and control probands (N = 234) of longitudinal, case-control family studies conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital. Assessments included measures of psychiatric, psychosocial, educational, and cognitive functioning. The presence of significant ATs was operationalized using the Child Behavior Checklist AT profile, which consists of combined aggregate T-scores of ≥ 195 on the Withdrawn, Social, and Thought Problems subscales. Results: ATs were significantly more prevalent among the siblings of probands with ADHD as compared with siblings of control probands (6% vs. 1%; P = .02). Siblings of probands with ADHD with a positive AT profile (N = 15) were significantly more impaired than those without an AT profile (N = 242) with regard to psychopathological, interpersonal, educational, and neuropsychological functioning. Conclusions: The current study reports a higher-than-expected prevalence of ATs in a non-referred sample of siblings of youth with ADHD, which is consistent with previous findings regarding ATs in a referred sample of youth with ADHD. The presence of ATs is associated with higher levels of morbidity and dysfunction.

Author Biographies

Joseph Biederman, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Chief, Clinical and Research Programs in Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD and the Alan and Lorraine Bressler Clinical and Research Program for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Maura Fitzgerald, Massachusetts General Hospital

Statistician, Clinical and Research Programs in Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD and the Alan and Lorraine Bressler Clinical and Research Program for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Stephen V. Faraone, SUNY Upstate Medical University, University of Bergen

Professor,  Departments of Psychiatry and of Neuroscience and Physiology,SUNY Upstate Medical University, 5K.G. Jebsen Centre for Psychiatric Disorders, Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen

Ronna Fried, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School

EDD, Clinical and Research Programs in Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD and the Alan and Lorraine Bressler Clinical and Research Program for Autism Spectrum Disorder

K. Yvonne Woodworth, Massachusetts General Hospital

Assistant to Dr. Joseph Biederman, Clinical and Research Programs in Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD and the Alan and Lorraine Bressler Clinical and Research Program for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Alexandra Saunders, Massachusetts General Hospital

Clinical Research Coordinator, Clinical and Research Programs in Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD and the Alan and Lorraine Bressler Clinical and Research Program for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Kristina Conroy, Massachusetts General Hospital

Clinical Research Coordinator, Clinical and Research Programs in Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD and the Alan and Lorraine Bressler Clinical and Research Program for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Gagan Joshi, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School

MD, Clinical and Research Programs in Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD and the Alan and Lorraine Bressler Clinical and Research Program for Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Published

2016-03-21

How to Cite

Biederman, J., Fitzgerald, M., Faraone, S. V., Fried, R., Woodworth, K. Y., Saunders, A., Conroy, K., & Joshi, G. (2016). Are Autistic Traits in Youth Meaningful? A Replication study in Non-referred Siblings of Youth with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Scandinavian Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, 4(2), 77–87. Retrieved from https://tidsskrift.dk/sjcapp/article/view/22506

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 2 (2016)

Section

Articles

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