A new study warns parents of children suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) of an underlying and more alarming condition. Experts say ADHD symptoms may hide autism in children and it will take longer to make a true diagnosis.
Researchers found that children who were given a false ADHD diagnosis carries a 30 percent risk of having autism by the time they reach six years old. Boston Children's Hospital Dr. Amir Miodovnik said that the six-year-old mark is when autism symptoms are well manifested.
The study shows how the negative effects of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and its long-term duration when left undiagnosed and untreated until the child is six years old. When ASD continues to persist under the radar, it can lead to more serious behavioral conditions like childhood autism and Asperger syndrome, which renders communication skills later in life more difficult.
The main symptoms of childhood autism are repetitive behaviors and difficulty with social communications and skills. Doctors are trained to monitor if a child is growing up properly but these red flags may not always pop up during routine visits to the pediatrician at a younger age. There are cases when clinicians may misdiagnose a child patient with ADHD when impulsivity, inattention and hyperactivity are in play. A clinician can only successfully rule out ASD when a child is four years old and older. This is when clear symptoms of ASD manifest and a true diagnosis can be made. The study's results show 40 percent of children with ASD did not receive the diagnosis when they were younger.
Miodovnik's team believes that an ADHD misdiagnosis will delay and affect ASD diagnosis. The difference is crucial when compared to children who are diagnosed with the two conditions at the same or with ASD first before ADHD. They looked in 1,496 patients with ASD and found out that 42.9 percent were also identified with ADHD. At 44.5 percent, almost half of the children in the study received the ADHD diagnosis prior to ASD.
Miodovniks insists on the importance of a regular ASD screening for young children until they reach two years old as set by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
"It's been shown the earlier that you implement these therapies for autism, the better children do in terms of outcomes," said Miodovnik.
The two conditions have overlapping symptoms and the general lack of in-depth ADHD and ASD profiles by healthcare providers and parents contribute to such alarming results.
