Elevated Autism Spectrum Disorder Traits in Young Children with OCD

• Published in: Child psychiatry and human development Vol. 47; no. 6; pp. 993 - 1001
• Main Authors: Stewart, Elyse, Cancilliere, Mary Kathryn, Freeman, Jennifer, Wellen, Brianna, Garcia, Abbe, Sapyta, Jeffrey, Franklin, Martin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.12.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Anxiety Disorders; Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorder - diagnosis; Autism Spectrum Disorder - epidemiology; Autism Spectrum Disorder - psychology; Autistic children; Behavior disorders; Behavior Rating Scale; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Child; Child and School Psychology; Child Behavior - psychology; Child, Preschool; Children; Children & youth; Female; Humans; Male; Medical diagnosis; Mental disorders; Obsessive compulsive disorder; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - diagnosis; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - epidemiology; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - psychology; Original Article; Prevalence; Psychiatry; Psychology; Questionnaires; Responsiveness; Severity; Severity of Illness Index; Social Behavior; Social Skills; Statistics as Topic; Studies; United States - epidemiology; Young Children; New York; United States > US; SCQ; OCD; Young children; ASD; SRS
• ISSN: 0009-398X; 1573-3327
• DOI: 10.1007/s10578-016-0629-4

Studies have shown a high prevalence of autistic spectrum traits in both children and adults with psychiatric disorders; however the prevalence rate has not yet been investigated in young children with OCD. The aim of the current study was to (1) determine whether ASD traits indicated by the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) were elevated in young children with OCD who do not have a specific ASD diagnosis and (2) determine if ASD traits were associated with OCD severity. Participants (N = 127) were children ages 5–8 years enrolled in the pediatric obsessive–compulsive disorder treatment study for young children (POTS Jr.). Results indicated that the SRS showed elevated autistic traits in the sample and was associated with OCD severity whereas the SCQ did not indicate heightened ASD symptoms. Implications of these results are discussed.