Psychopathology in children and adolescents with developmental disorders.
In a large mixed-IQ clinic sample, ODD and ADHD were the usual suspects, with mood and trauma diagnoses rising alongside IQ.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Doctors looked back at 233 clinic charts of kids with autism, ID, or other delays. They counted how many also had mental-health diagnoses. The team split the kids by IQ to see if patterns changed.
This was a chart review, not a new test. It showed real-world diagnoses already given by doctors.
What they found
ODD and ADHD topped the list for the whole group. Kids with lower IQ had more pica and autism labels. Kids with higher IQ had more depression and PTSD notes.
How this fits with other research
Koegel et al. (2014) say most later studies look only at bright kids with ASD and find anxiety, depression, ADHD. A et al. saw the same trio, but in a mixed-IQ sample, so the 1997 data already hinted at the bias L et al. later flagged.
Badia et al. (2013) and Norris et al. (2010) zoomed in on ASD youth without ID and still found high sub-threshold anxiety and depression. Their focus on the high-IQ slice extends A et al.'s finding that depression and PTSD clustered there.
Roberts et al. (2008) followed autistic adults and showed new OCD, mood, and catatonia cases emerging after childhood. A et al.'s cross-sectional snapshot fits the start of that longer risk arc.
Why it matters
If you assess a child with developmental delay, expect ODD or ADHD first, but check IQ to guide the rest of your screen. Low IQ? Watch for pica. High IQ? Ask about mood, trauma, and anxiety. Use this quick rule to pick the right rating scales and save time.
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Flip to the IQ score in your client's file, then choose anxiety/depression scales for IQ ≥ 70 or pica screens for IQ < 70
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Children and adolescents with developmental disorders suffer from a wide range of psychopathology. However, there are no published studies examining this subject exclusively in this population using recent diagnostic criteria. The primary purpose of this paper is to report on the diagnosis encountered in a clinical setting using DSM-III-R. The medical records of all individuals assessed in a specialized program during a 1-year period were reviewed looking at their demographic features, diagnoses, and target behaviors. Our sample consisted of 233 subjects and contained significantly more boys than girls. The most common psychiatric diagnoses were oppositional defiant disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Pica, organic mental disorder NOS, and Autistic Disorder were more often encountered in individuals with low intellectual functioning. Depressive disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, and developmental speech/language disorders were diagnosed more in high functioning subjects. The most common symptom was impulsivity. This retrospective study highlights the need for more rigorous examination of current diagnostic concepts and criteria in children and adolescents with developmental disorders. Prospective studies should be conducted with standardized instruments in clinics and community samples to provide more information on psychiatric disorders in this population.
Research in developmental disabilities, 1997 · doi:10.1016/s0891-4222(97)00016-4