FRIDAY, Sept. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Attention and hyperactivity
problems worsen quality of life for many children with autism, a
new study finds.
Researchers analyzed data from more than 2,000 children and
adolescents in the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network's
Registry and found that more than half of them had symptoms of
either attention or hyperactivity problems. More than a third had
significant symptoms of both.
The study also found that more than one-third of the children
with an autism spectrum disorder had symptoms suggesting they may
have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and about 10
percent were taking stimulant medications typically used to treat
ADHD. This suggests that many children with autism and ADHD
symptoms are not taking medications to treat ADHD symptoms.
The presence of ADHD symptoms further compromises the ability of
children with autism to deal with daily situations, which might
lead to a lower quality of life, said the researchers from
Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and Oregon Health
Sciences University.
It's important to identify ADHD symptoms in children with autism
so that they can be treated for such symptoms, the researchers said
in a network news release. They added that further research is
needed to determine whether stimulant medications improve ADHD
symptoms in children with autism.
The findings were scheduled for presentation Sunday at the
annual meeting of the Society for Developmental & Behavioral
Pediatrics in San Antonio, Texas.
Research presented at medical meetings should be considered
preliminary as it has not been subjected to the rigorous scrutiny
required for publication in a peer-reviewed medical journal.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
has more about
autism.