Investigating the autistic traits in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Objective To investigate the autistic symptoms or autistic trait in the children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) for facilitating the development of appropriate interventions. Methods Sixty-two 6-12-year-old high-functioned autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD and typically developing (TD) children were assessed respectively using Chinese-version social responsiveness scale (SRS), and ADHD core symptoms were assessed in the ADHD children at the same time. Results ASD group>ADHD group> TD group on the SRS total raw score and the five dimensions scores as well(P 0.01). Conclusion Children with ADHD appear more ASD symptoms than the TD children and a considerable proportion of them reach the SRS diagnostic cut-off point. Key words: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD); Autistic traits; Social responsiveness scale (SRS)