Autistic traits in a Swedish clinical sample of children with ADHD

Abstract: The occurrence of autistic traits measured by the social responsiveness scale, SRS, in a Swedish clinical sample of children age 8-12 diagnosed with ADHD was analyzed and found significantly elevated in comparison with a demographically similar control group. 28 children 4 girls and 24 boys diagnosed with ADHD were included in the ADHD group. 25 children 4 girls and 21 boys acted as controls. A mean total SRS raw score of 78,25 was found significantly higher compared to that of the control group at p<0,000. 35,7% of the children in the ADHD group rated as severely impaired in their social behavior. A significant positive correlation of r=0,86 at p<0,000 between severity of ADHD and social impairment was also found.