Cited by 3,399Autism Spectrum Disorder ResearchChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentChild Nutrition and Feeding Issues

Psychiatric Disorders in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: Prevalence, Comorbidity, and Associated Factors in a Population-Derived Sample

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Simonoff, Emily, Pickles, Andrew, Charman, Tony, Chandler, Susie, Loucas, Tom, Baird, Gillian·2008·Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

Abstract

Objective Autism spectrum disorders are now recognized to occur in up to 1% of the population and to be a major public health concern because of their early onset, lifelong persistence, and high levels of associated impairment. Little is known about the associated psychiatric disorders that may contribute to impairment. We identify the rates and type of psychiatric comorbidity associated with ASDs and explore the associations with variables identified as risk factors for child psychiatric disorders.Method A subgroup of 112 ten- to 14-year old children from a population-derived cohort was assessed for other child psychiatric disorders (3 months' prevalence) through parent interview using the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment. DSM-IV diagnoses for childhood anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, oppositional defiant and conduct disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, tic disorders, trichotillomania, enuresis, and encopresis were identified.Results Seventy percent of participants had at least one comorbid disorder and 41% had two or more. The most common diagnoses were social anxiety disorder (29.2%, 95% confidence interval [CI)] 13.2-45.1), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (28.2%, 95% CI 13.3-43.0), and oppositional defiant disorder (28.1%, 95% CI 13.9-42.2). Of those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, 84% received a second comorbid diagnosis. There were few associations between putative risk factors and psychiatric disorder.Conclusions Psychiatric disorders are common and frequently multiple in children with autism spectrum disorders. They may provide targets for intervention and should be routinely evaluated in the clinical assessment of this group.

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Crossref · 10.1097/chi.0b013e318179964f

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  • The most common co-occurring psychiatric conditions are anxiety disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depressive disorders, and oppositional defiant and conduct disorders.

    “The most common co-occurring psychiatric conditions are anxiety disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depressive disorders, and oppositional defiant and conduct disorders (Simonoff et al. 2008), while the most common co-occurring medical conditions include gastro-intestinal problems, sleep difficulties, and seizures (Muskens et al. 2017).”

    From The Diagnosis of Autism: From Kanner to DSM-III to DSM-5 and Beyond (2021) · cites this paper as Simonoff et al. 2008

    The Rates of Disorder section identifies social anxiety disorder, ADHD, and oppositional defiant disorder as the most common diagnoses. It explicitly says depressive disorders and conduct disorder had low rates, so the source does not support listing those among the most common conditions. (LLM, conf=0.90)

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  • Estimates suggest that 63-78% of individuals with ASD have at least one co-occurring psychiatric condition.

    “Co-occurring psychiatric and medical disorders are common among individuals with ASD, with estimates suggesting that 63–78% of individuals with ASD have at least one co-occurring psychiatric condition (Simonoff et al. 2008; Strang et al. 2012), and approximately 10–77% have at least one co-occurring medical condition (Muskens et al. 2017; Betancur 2011).”

    From The Diagnosis of Autism: From Kanner to DSM-III to DSM-5 and Beyond (2021) · cites this paper as Simonoff et al. 2008

    The Rates of Disorder section reports that 70.8% of children with ASD had at least one current psychiatric disorder, within the cited 63–78% range. The estimate comes from 10- to 14-year-olds assessed for three-month prevalence, so this paper alone does not establish the range for individuals with ASD across all ages. (LLM, conf=0.87)

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  • In Simonoff et al. (2008), 29.2% of a sample of children aged 10 to 14 had concurrent anxiety and/or depression, with much higher rates than those observed in the general population.

    “En el estudio de Simonoff et al. (2008), se detectó que el 29,2 % de una muestra de niños entre 10 y 14 años presentaban ansiedad y/o depresión de forma concurrente, con tasas mucho más altas que las observadas en población general.”

    From Ansiedad y trastornos del espectro del autismo: notas para la intervención psicoeducativa (2022) · cites this paper as Simonoff et al. (2008)

    The Abstract identifies the sample as children aged 10–14, and the Rates of Disorder section reports 29.2% for social anxiety disorder—not for anxiety and/or depression combined. Table 1 reports 41.9% for any anxiety or phobic disorder and 1.4% for any depressive disorder. The Discussion compares the higher rate of any psychiatric disorder with the general population, but says depressive-disorder rates were not increased. (LLM, conf=0.90)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The most common mental health challenge for autistic individuals is anxiety.

    “The most common mental health challenge for autistic individuals is anxiety [14-16]”

    From Autistic Cognition: Charting Routes to Anxiety (2021) · cites this paper as [16]

    The Rates of Disorder section identifies social anxiety disorder as the most common individual diagnosis (29.2%), and Table 1 reports anxiety or phobic disorders in 41.9% of the sample. However, the study assessed children aged 10–14, so it does not establish that anxiety is the most common mental health challenge for autistic individuals of all ages. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Around 50% of children with ASD experience significant anxiety.

    “It is estimated that around 50 % of children with ASD will experience significant anxiety (Simonoff et al. 2008).”

    From Towards a Treatment for Intolerance of Uncertainty in Young People with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Development of the Coping with Uncertainty in Everyday Situations (CUES©) Programme. (2017) · cites this paper as Simonoff et al. 2008

    Table 1 reports that 41.9% of the sampled children with ASD had an anxiety or phobic disorder, and the Discussion describes this as a high rate. That supports the broad point, but the figure is below 50% and measures prevalence over three months in children aged 10–14, not the proportion of all children with ASD who will experience anxiety at some point. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Simonoff, E., Pickles, A., Charman, T., Chandler, S., Loucas, T., & Baird, G.
Affiliations
  • King's College London (GB)
  • University of London (GB)
Corresponding author
Simonoff, Emily
Venue
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2008-08
Volume
47
Issue
8
Pages
921-929
ISSN
0890-8567 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2158063953
Cited by
3,399
References
50
Citations by year
2026: 121 · 2025: 151 · 2024: 213 · 2023: 184 · 2022: 273 · 2021: 279 · 2020: 295 · 2019: 261 · 2018: 232 · 2017: 267 · 2016: 209 · 2015: 216 · 2014: 194 · 2013: 188 · 2012: 124
FWCI
31.87
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • IOE EPrints (submittedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
  • Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Wellcome Trust
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues
Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, psychiatric comorbidity, child psychopathology, social anxiety disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, tic disorders, trichotillomania, enuresis, encopresis, depressive disorders, conduct disorder, anxiety disorders, prevalence, risk factors, children
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Autistic Disorder, Mental Disorders, Child, Female, Humans, Male, Population Surveillance, Surveys and Questionnaires, Comorbidity, Prevalence, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

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