Predictors of Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD: Results from the National Survey of Children's Health
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are two of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders with comorbidity rates of up to 70%. Population-based studies show differential rates of ADHD and ASD diagnosis based on sociodemographic variables. However, no studies to date have examined the role of sociodemographic factors on the likelihood of receiving an ADHD, ASD, or comorbid ASD + ADHD diagnosis in a large, nationally representative sample. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine the impact of sociodemographic factors on the odds of experiencing ASD-only, ADHD-only, or both diagnoses for children in the United States. METHODS: Using a mixed effects multinomial logistic modeling approach and data from the 2016-2018 National Survey of Children's Health, we estimated the association between sociodemographic variables and the log odds of being in each diagnostic group. RESULTS: Sociodemographic variables were differentially related to the three diagnostic groups: ASD-only, ADHD-only, and ASD + ADHD. Compared to girls, boys experienced higher odds of all three diagnosis categories. White children had higher odds of having an ADHD-only or ASD + ADHD diagnosis compared to non-Hispanic (NH) Black, NH multiple/other race, and Hispanic children. Odds ratios for levels of parent education, household income, and birth characteristics showed varying trends across diagnostic groups. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our findings point to unique sets of risk factors differentially associated ASD and ADHD, with lower income standing out as an important factor associated with receiving a diagnosis of ASD + ADHD.
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Co-diagnosis rates of ASD and ADHD can reach 70%.
“The rates of co-diagnosis of ASD and ADHD are as high as 70%6”
From Executive function deficits in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder (2024) · cites this paper as [6]
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- Authors
- Federico, A., Zgodic, A., Flory, K., Hantman, R. M., Eberth, J. M., Mclain, A. C., & Bradshaw, J.
- Affiliations
- University of South Carolina (US)
- Corresponding author
- Federico, Alexis
- ORCID
- Venue
- Disability and Health Journal
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2024-01
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 101512
- ISSN
- 1876-7583 (ISSN-L)
- 1936-6574
- PMC
- PMC11249046
- OpenAlex
- W4385494519
- Cited by
- 18
- References
- 37
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 10
- FWCI
- 2.70
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Disability and health journal (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (K23MH120476)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences (P20GM130420, T32GM081740)
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
- National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (5U19DD001218)
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (F31HD108920)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, sociodemographic disparities, diagnostic disparities, household income, parental education, birth characteristics, sex differences, racial and ethnic disparities, children, National Survey of Children's Health
- MeSH terms
- Child Health, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Child, Female, Disabled Persons, Persons with Disabilities, Humans, Male, United States, Comorbidity
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