Performance of Autism Screening and Diagnostic Instruments Among Children with ADHD: A Systematic Review.

Udhnani et al. (2025) looked at every paper that tested autism screeners or diagnostic tools in kids who already have ADHD.

They wanted to know if these tools still give correct answers when the child also has attention problems.

The team followed strict systematic-review rules but did not pool numbers, so they only describe patterns.

The review shows many autism tools can over- or under-call autism in kids with ADHD.

No single scanner worked perfectly; clinicians must treat scores as hints, not facts.

Christiansen et al. (2025) found ADOS-2 Module 4 works well for cognitively able adults, yet women score lower and diverge from ADI-R. Manisha’s review extends this warning to kids with ADHD—both studies say “add extra data before you trust the score.”

Howard et al. (2023) report that popular ABA-based assessments lack solid psychometric proof. Together with Manisha’s findings, the picture is clear: many tools we use daily need stronger evidence, especially in mixed-diagnosis groups.

Konstantareas et al. (1999) listed early gaps in autism screening; Udhnani et al. (2025) now fill one of those gaps by focusing on the ADHD group, showing the field has moved from “do we have a test?” to “does the test work in every child?”

If you screen a child who bounces off the walls, a high autism score may reflect ADHD traits, not true autism. Pause, gather parent reports, observe again, and use multiple tools before you label. This extra step saves kids from wrong services and saves your clinic time later.