ADHD Children can also Exhibit Some Traits of Autism, Study Says

Children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at a higher risk of displaying some symptoms associated with autism, a new study says.

The study found that a significant number of children with ADHD also displayed autistic traits, including difficulties in communication, language development and controlling emotions than children without the neurobehavioral disorder, Health Day reported. 

Researchers reached the conclusion after analyzing 240 ADHD children and comparing them to 227 typically growing children. All the children were aged between eight and 14.

Through questionnaires, parents provided information about their children's behavior. Nearly 18 percent of the ADHD children exhibited autistic traits compared to the control group (1 percent).

Participants who displayed traits of both autism and ADHD struggled more in their relationships with peers and siblings, entered into fights, exhibited behavioral problems at school, and suffered from disorders related to learning and psychology, Live Science reported.

"Those with autism traits have greater severity of symptoms and dysfunction," Dr. Alice Mao, an associate professor of psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine, who was not involved in the study, told Health Day. "Certainly it would be useful to screen kids with ADHD who have autism traits to see which kids may need more help socially, as well as to make sure they don't have lower intellectual functioning. You may be able to give other treatments that would be helpful in terms of improving their functioning."

According to Dr. Joseph Biederman from Massachusetts General Hospital and colleagues, who conducted the study, ADHD children have 20 times greater risk  of having symptoms of autism than others.

"The genetic markers for ADHD have also been associated with autism," study author Biederman, told Health Day. "These autistic traits may be present in other conditions as well. I am quite convinced that these traits may be present in children with mood and anxiety disorders."

The findings come as a support to a previous study released earlier this year. The study, reported in Autism: The International Journal and Practice, found that the two disorders, ADHD and autism co-occur in children. Of the 63 children with autism, 18 had "clinically significant symptoms" of ADHD. Children with both the disorders had more severe symptoms of autism compared to children who only had autism.