Comparison of DSM-IV symptoms in elementary school-age children with PDD versus clinic and community samples

• Published in: Autism : the international journal of research and practice 2005-10, Vol.9 (4), p.392-415
• Main Authors: Gadow, Kenneth D., Devincent, Carla J., Pomeroy, John, Azizian, Allen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anxiety disorders; Anxiety Disorders - epidemiology; Anxiety Disorders - etiology; Asperger Syndrome; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - epidemiology; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - etiology; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Autism; Behavior Disorders; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; Child; Child clinical studies; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive - complications; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive - psychology; Children; Comorbidity; Developmental disorders; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Elementary School Students; Female; Gender differences; Humans; Incidence; Infantile autism; Male; Medical referrals; Medical sciences; Medical screening; Mental Disorders; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - epidemiology; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - etiology; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Psychiatric symptoms; Psychological Patterns; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Severity; Severity (of Disability); Severity of Illness Index; Students; Subtypes; Symptoms (Individual Disorders); Teachers
• ISSN: 1362-3613; 1461-7005
• DOI: 10.1177/1362361305056079

This study compares DSM-IV symptoms in children (ages 6 to 12 years) with pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), clinic controls, and community-based samples. Parents/teachers completed the Child Symptom Inventory–4 for four samples: PDD (N= 284/284) and non-PDD psychiatric clinic referrals (N= 189/181) and pupils in regular (N= 385/404) and special (N= 61/60) education classes. The PDD group received higher symptom severity ratings than the regular education group, but was similar to the non-PDD clinic sample. Screening prevalence rates were highest for ADHD, ODD, and generalized anxiety disorder. PDD subtypes exhibited differentially higher rates of psychiatric symptoms. The magnitude of rater and gender differences in symptom severity ratings was modest. Clinic-referred children with PDD exhibit a pattern of psychiatric symptoms highly similar to nonPDD clinic referrals. Although much additional research is needed on comorbidity, these symptoms have important treatment implications.