Comorbid psychiatric disorders in children with autism: interview development and rates of disorders.

Wetterneck et al. (2006) built a new interview called the ACI-PL.

Parents answer questions while a trained clinician guides them.

The goal is to spot ADHD, OCD, and phobias in children who already have autism.

The interview worked. It gave the same answers when used twice.

It also matched what doctors already knew from full exams.

Kids with autism often had extra disorders that made daily life harder.

Katz et al. (2003) made an earlier parent interview, the PIA-CV, that tracked core autism signs in toddlers. The ACI-PL keeps the parent-talk format but switches the target from autism traits to treatable extras like ADHD.

Green et al. (2020) later checked if the short PHQ-9 mood form works for autistic adults. Their work extends the same idea: take a tool built for typical people, test it carefully, then use it to catch depression in the autism population.

Doughty et al. (2015) used a structured interview in crisis rooms to sort out why autistic youth melt down. Both studies show that a clear script helps when kids cannot fully speak for themselves.

You now have a free, repeatable way to screen for ADHD, OCD, and phobias during your intake. Spotting these extras means you can add focused plans or refer for meds sooner. The interview takes about an hour and needs no special gear—just you, the parent, and the script.