The relationship between autism and psychiatric disorders in Intellectually Disabled Adults (original) (raw)
Related papers
Psychopathology in Adults with Autism and Intellectual Disability
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2006
There have been few studies of psychopathology in adult with autism. This study examined psychiatric co-morbidity in 147 adults with intellectual disability (ID) and autism and 605 adults with ID but without autism. After controlling for the effects of gender, age, psychotropic medication and level of ID, people with autism and ID were no more likely to receive a psychiatric diagnosis than people with ID only. People with autism were less likely to receive a diagnosis of personality disorder. These findings cast doubts on the hypothesis that adults with ID and autism are more vulnerable to certain psychiatric disorders than non-autistic adults with ID.
Journal of autism and …, 2008
The prevalence, and incidence, of mental ill-health in adults with intellectual disabilities and autism were compared with the whole population with intellectual disabilities, and with controls, matched individually for age, gender, ability-level, and Down syndrome. Although the adults with autism had a higher point prevalence of problem behaviours compared with the whole adult population with intellectual disabilities, compared with individually matched controls there was no difference in prevalence, or incidence of either problem behaviours or other mental ill-health. Adults with autism who had problem behaviours were less likely to recover over a two-year period than were their matched controls. Apparent differences in rates of mental ill-health are accounted for by factors other than autism, including Down syndrome and ability level.
Mental health of adults with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability
Current opinion in psychiatry, 2010
Purpose of review The literature has often suggested that individuals with intellectual disability who have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience higher rates of mental health problems than those without ASD. This finding has been challenged in recent years and so the purpose of this article was to critically review relevant studies since March 2009. The review focuses on studies specifically about the mental health of adults with intellectual disability who have ASD. Recent findings Recent studies do not support the hypothesis that adults with intellectual disability and ASD are more vulnerable to psychiatric disorders than those without ASD. Factors found to be associated with poorer mental health include severity of intellectual disability, adaptive behaviour skills and social skills. Summary The evidence base on the mental health of adults with intellectual disability and ASD is small but rapidly increasing. Studies tend to have relatively small sample sizes and there remain difficulties in accurately assessing ASD and psychopathology in adults with intellectual disability.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2004
Eight males and four females with an Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) diagnosis of autism (mean age of 16.3 years) and severe intellectual disability (IQ < 40) were individually matched to controls on the basis of chronological age, gender, and nonverbal IQ. The dependent measure was the Diagnostic Assessment for the Severely Handicapped-II, which is used to screen for psychiatric and behavior disorders in lower-functioning individuals. Participants with autism showed significantly greater disturbances as measured by the Diagnostic Assessment for the Severely Handicapped-II total score and seven of 13 subscales. They also averaged 5.25 clinically significant disturbances compared with 1.25 disturbances for participants without autism. Specific vulnerabilities to anxiety, mood, sleep, organic syndromes, and stereotypies/ tics were found in the participants with comorbid autism.
Mental Health Aspects of Developmental Disabilities, 2008
A utism is a pervasive developmental disorder characterized by social and communication problems and a restricted and repetitive repertoire of interests and activities (ICD-10, DSM-IV). The prevalence of 35 2 18 that psychiatric disorders often remain undetected Identification of psychiatric disorders in individuals with autism and intellectual disability may be complex, especially due to the difficulty of separating psychiatric symptoms from the core symptoms of autism. However, differentiating conceptually between these disorders is a prerequisite for developing more accurate and reliable diagnoses. A panel study design was applied to investigate which symptoms clinicians use to discriminate between autism and four major psychiatric disorders-psychosis, depression, anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The result was a set of symptoms which were rated as specific to a psychiatric disorder and not characteristic of autism as it appears in individuals with intellectual disability. These symptoms may be used as indicators of psychiatric disorders in this group.
2008
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by deficits in three areas of functioning: communication, socialization, and restricted interests/repetitive behavior. With the rise in diagnoses of ASD in recent years, these disorders have received increasing recognition by researchers and clinicians. These efforts have largely been with young children. However, the study of ASD and comorbid disorders in adults with intellectual disability (ID) has been almost nonexistent. While there are measures available to assess comorbid disorders in people with only ID, the differences in adults with ASD and ID and adults with ID alone may also be a good deal different than in children, and therefore warrants a specialized scale to measure symptoms of ASD in this population. Through research, it is recognized that persons with ASD and ID often evince concomitant psychopathology; yet, the topic has not been systematically studied. The Autism Spectrum Disorders-Comorbidity for Adults (ASD-CA) was designed to screen symptoms of psychopathology that occur more commonly with ASD/ID in adults. The objective of this study was to assess the reliability of the ASD-CA in a first attempt to establish the test's psychometric properties. Three forms of reliability (inter-rater, test-retest, and internal consistency), item analysis, and a factor analysis were conducted.
Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2008
Researchers and clinicians have generally agreed that persons with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are susceptible to other DSM Axis I disorders. However, to date, little has been done to establish the specific disorders, their rate and severity of occurrence, and their interrelationship with ASD symptoms. One reason for the lack of research has been the absence of a comorbidity measure for this population. Additionally, when research has been conducted, it typically has been on one disorder with young children. The present study assessed comorbid DSM Axis I disorders in adults with ASD, either autism or PDDNOS and intellectual disabilities, using a new scale designed for the purpose. The reliability and factor structure of the scale was evaluated and implications for future research are discussed. #
The use of Autism Mental Status exam in an Italian sample. A brief report
2017
The Autism Mental Status Exam (AMSE) is an eight-item observational assessment that allows clinicians to observe and document social and communication functioning and behavioral features in children during a clinical evaluation. Previous findings indicated a high classification accuracy of the AMSE, when compared to ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule), administered to a high-risk population suspected to have an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The present study reports the data obtained through the administration of AMSE to a sample of 98 Italian patients (11 females and 87 males) with a diagnosis of ASD formulated according to the diagnostic criteria of the DSM 5. All subjects were administered AMSE, ADOS and ADI-R. Results show an acceptable internal consistency of the instrument 1 IRCCS Oasi Maria SS. Troina, Italy. E-mail: mzingale@oasi.en.it 2 IRCCS Oasi Maria SS. Troina, Italy. E-mail: spanerai@oasi.en.it 3 IRCCS Oasi Maria SS. Troina, Italy. E-mail: fbuono@oasi.en.it...
The Psychopathology in Autism Checklist (PAC): A pilot study
Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2009
Adults with autism and intellectual disability (ID) are assumed to have high vulnerability for developing psychiatric disorders, but instruments or criteria for identifying those who may be in need of psychiatric services have been lacking. This study presents a new carer-completed screening checklist designed for this purpose. Differentiation between symptoms related to autism and to psychiatric disorders is indicated in order to identify psychiatric disorders in persons with autism. The Psychopathology in Autism Checklist (PAC) contains 30 items representing symptoms previously evaluated as specific to one of four major psychiatric disorders (psychosis, depression, anxiety and OCD) and not related to autism. Twelve items evaluated as indicators of general adjustment problems are also included. All 42 items are based on ICD-10 and DSM-IV criteria. The PAC was piloted on a sample of 35 adults with autism and ID. The score of participants previously identified with co-occurring psychiatric disorders (i.e. psychosis, depression, anxiety disorder, or OCD) were compared with the score of participants without psychiatric disorders. The results indicate acceptable psychometric properties, and that the PAC discriminates between adults with autism and ID with and without psychiatric disorders, and partially between individuals diagnosed with different psychiatric disorders. ß