| Title |
Where are the strongest associations between autistic traits and traits of ADHD? evidence from a community-based twin study
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, January 2015
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s00787-014-0666-0 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Mark J. Taylor, Tony Charman, Angelica Ronald |
| Abstract |
Autism spectrum conditions (ASC) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) regularly co-occur. Twin studies increasingly indicate that these conditions may have overlapping genetic causes. Less is known about the degree to which specific autistic traits relate to specific behaviours characteristic of ADHD. We hence tested, using the classical twin design, whether specific dimensional autistic traits, including social difficulties, communication atypicalities and repetitive behaviours, would display differential degrees of aetiological overlap with specific traits of ADHD, including hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattention. Parents of approximately 4,000 pairs of 12-year-old twins completed the Childhood Autism Spectrum Test and Conners' Parent Rating Scale. These measures were divided into subscales corresponding to different types of autistic and ADHD behaviours. Twin model fitting suggested that the degree of genetic overlap was particularly strong between communication difficulties and traits of ADHD (genetic correlations = .47-.51), while repetitive behaviours and social difficulties showed moderate (genetic correlations = .12-.33) and modest (.05-.11) genetic overlap respectively. Environmental overlap was low across all subscales (correlations = .01-.23). These patterns were also apparent at the extremes of the general population, with communication difficulties showing the highest genetic overlap with traits of ADHD. These findings indicate that molecular genetic studies seeking to uncover the shared genetic basis of ASC and ADHD would benefit from taking a symptom-specific approach. Furthermore, they could also help to explain why studies of the communication abilities of individuals with ASC and ADHD have produced overlapping findings. |
X Demographics
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Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 2 | 67% |
| Unknown | 1 | 33% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 3 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 131 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 131 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 24 | 18% |
| Researcher | 19 | 15% |
| Student > Master | 18 | 14% |
| Student > Bachelor | 13 | 10% |
| Student > Postgraduate | 10 | 8% |
| Other | 19 | 15% |
| Unknown | 28 | 21% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 50 | 38% |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 11 | 8% |
| Social Sciences | 11 | 8% |
| Neuroscience | 10 | 8% |
| Nursing and Health Professions | 4 | 3% |
| Other | 9 | 7% |
| Unknown | 36 | 27% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 2. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 13 April 2015.
All research outputs
#16,237,186
of 25,654,806 outputs
Outputs from European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
#1,296
of 1,842 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#201,893
of 361,490 outputs
Outputs of similar age from European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
#19
of 31 outputs
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