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Title: Autistic And Asperger Syndrome Children At Risk For Anxiety, Depression

URL: http://www.sagepub.co.uk/journals/details/issue/abstract/ab012608.html

"The prevalence of anxiety and mood problems among children with autism and Asperger syndrome "
07/10/2000 11:58:00 PM
By James Adams

A new study has found that children with high-functioning autism or Asperger syndrome are at greater risk for anxiety and depression compared with the general population. Canadian researchers administered cognitive and behavioral tests to children who had been diagnosed with autism (n=540) or Asperger syndrome (n=519) when they were four to six years old. Then six years later, when the children were at a mean age of 12 years, they were examined for evidence of psychiatric problems including mood and anxiety disorders. Results showed that children with in either group were more likely to have problems with anxiety or depression compared with a sample of 1,751 children from the community, and these problems had a significant impact on their lives. Psychiatric problems were not correlated with early autistic symptoms. Evidence suggests, however, that early verbal/non-verbal IQ discrepancy scores had some predictive value. While this study provides evidence that these children are at greater risk for mood and anxiety disorders, the researchers concluded that "the correlates and risk factors for these comorbid problems remain unclear."

http://www.sagepub.co.uk/journals/details/issue/abstract/ab012608.html

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