Comorbid Psychiatric Disorders in Children with Autism: Interview Development and Rates of Disorders

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders Vol. 36; no. 7; pp. 849 - 861
• Main Authors: Leyfer, Ovsanna T, Folstein, Susan E, Bacalman, Susan, Davis, Naomi O, Dinh, Elena, Morgan, Jubel, Tager-Flusberg, Helen, Lainhart, Janet E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Springer 01-10-2006; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Anxiety Disorders; Attention Deficit Disorders; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorders; Autistic Disorder - epidemiology; Behavior Problems; Behavior Rating Scales; Biological and medical sciences; Check Lists; Child; Child Behavior; Child, Preschool; Children; Clinical Diagnosis; Coding; Communication Problems; Comorbidity; Departments; Depression (Psychology); Developmental Disabilities; Emotional Response; Female; Humans; Information Processing; Interviews; Interviews as Topic; Male; Medical sciences; Mental Disorders; Mental Disorders - diagnosis; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Obsessive-Compulsive neuroses; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Phobias; Prevalence; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems; Psychopathology; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Reliability; Resistance (Psychology); Schizophrenia; Severe Disabilities; Techniques and methods; Validity; Developmental disorder; Construct validity; Psychiatric interview; Interrater agreement; Convergent validity; Psychopathology; Child; Predictive validity; Human; Preschool age; Evaluation; Comorbidity; Psychometrics; Revised drafting; Test reliability; Semidirective interview; Intertrial interval; Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for Children Puig-Antich Chambers; Test validation; Autism; Concomitant disease; School age; Follow up study; Adolescent; Mental disorder
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-006-0123-0

The Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia was modified for use in children and adolescents with autism by developing additional screening questions and coding options that reflect the presentation of psychiatric disorders in autism spectrum disorders. The modified instrument, the Autism Comorbidity Interview-Present and Lifetime Version (ACI-PL), was piloted and frequently diagnosed disorders, depression, ADHD, and OCD, were tested for reliability and validity. The ACI-PL provides reliable DSM diagnoses that are valid based on clinical psychiatric diagnosis and treatment history. The sample demonstrated a high prevalence of specific phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder, and ADHD. The rates of psychiatric disorder in autism are high and are associated with functional impairment.