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High rates of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) comorbidity have been described in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study searched for predictors at toddlerhood of the severity of ADHD symptoms at adolescence. The study included 65 participants, (mean age = 13:8 year), diagnosed with ASD at toddlerhood. Participants underwent a comprehensive assessment of cognitive ability, adaptive skills and autism severity at toddlerhood and adolescence. More severe restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRB) in toddlerhood predicted the severity of Inattention symptoms. In addition, more severe RRB and lower adaptive skills in the toddler years significantly predicted the severity of Hyperactivity/Impulsivity symptoms. Adolescents with elevated ADHD symptoms diagnosed at toddlerhood with ASD showed lower cognitive and adaptive skills and more severe autism symptoms., Author(s): Ditza A. Zachor [sup.1] , Esther Ben-Itzchak [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (Aff1) grid.12136.37, 0000 0004 1937 0546, Department of Pediatrics, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, The Autism Center/ALUT, Assaf Harofeh Medical [...]

We investigated the longitudinal relationship between socio-economic disadvantage (SED) and trajectories of emotional and conduct problems among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who had comorbid attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; ASD + ADHD) or not (ASD - ADHD). The sample was 209 children with ASD who took part in the UK's Millennium Cohort Study. Trajectories of problems across ages 3, 5 and 7 years were analyzed using growth curve models. The ASD - ADHD group decreased in conduct problems over time but the ASD + ADHD group continued on a high trajectory. Although SED was not a risk factor for ASD + ADHD, it was associated with elevated emotional problems among children with ASD + ADHD. This effect of SED on emotional problems was not attenuated by parenting or peer problems. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10803-015-2456-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users., Author(s): Eirini Flouri[sup.1] , Emily Midouhas[sup.1] , Tony Charman[sup.2] , Zahra Sarmadi[sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) Department of Psychology and Human Development, UCL Institute of Education, University College London, 25 Woburn [...]