Neurodivergence refers to the diversity in brain functioning and includes conditions such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), among others. A new study led by researchers at the University of Glasgow (United Kingdom) has found that three quarters (76.2%) of children diagnosed with autism also had traits of other neurodivergent neurotypes, including some associated with ADHD, as well as motor and learning differences.
The results have been published in PLOS One and show that more than half (55.6%) of children referred for autism evaluation may also meet the diagnostic threshold for ADHD and have at least some signs indicative of this disorder. Additionally, the researchers only looked at a small selection of possible neurotypes, suggesting that the true number of children with ASD and other neurotypes may be higher.
The research showed that there was a positive association between the number of neurodivergents detected and an earlier age of referral and also suggested that neurodivergent women were less likely than men to be identified before the age of five. However, despite the clinical overlap and coexistence of neurodivergence in children, only 26% of study participants with other traits were investigated for an additional underlying diagnosis.
A Holistic Approach to Assessing Neurodevelopment
To conduct the study, its authors analyzed anonymous medical records of children between the ages of two and 17 who were referred for autism evaluation, using validated questionnaires to assess neurodivergent traits. Research suggests that validated questionnaires can help clinicians identify co-occurring neurodivergence at the first assessment, allowing for earlier support and the development of a system-wide view of a child’s neurotype.
“Our results demonstrate the extensive overlap between additional neurodivergent traits in a population of children referred with suspected autism.”
“This study is extremely important as it shows how vital it is to have a holistic approach to assessing children to properly identify possible overlapping neurotypes. “In addition to a better understanding of the neurodivergent population as a whole, identifying the precise ‘make and model’ of a child will help provide better, more personalized support for these children when necessary,” said Dr Jason Lang, Professor senior neurodevelopmental clinician and honorary consultant in child and adolescent psychiatry.
“However, it can be challenging for professionals to work with various neurotypes. As such, more work needs to be done to ensure that services are truly holistic so that overlapping traits are appropriately identified.” “And while this work is based on children’s services, we would also recommend that similar studies be carried out in adult populations, where current approaches remain largely isolated,” he adds.
“Our results demonstrate the extensive overlap between additional neurodivergent traits in a population of children referred with suspected autism and show that only a small proportion were investigated further. The use of standardized questionnaires to uncover additional neurodivergences may be useful to improve the holistic nature of neurodevelopmental assessments,” the authors conclude in their article.
