Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Depression, Anxiety, and Hyperactivity in Youth with HFASD: A Replication and Extension of Symptom Level Differences in Self-Report Versus Parent Report

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present study compared parent ratings to self-report ratings of depression, anxiety, hyperactivity, attention problems, and atypical behaviors in youth with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD) and typically developing (TD) controls. Measures included parent and self-report forms from the Behavioral Assessment System for Children-Second Edition (BASC-2), and self-report forms from the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) and the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC). Results across all five BASC-2 scales indicated parent ratings for the HFASD condition were significantly higher than HFASD self-ratings, and were significantly higher than parent and self-ratings from the TD condition. In addition, average self-report scores did not differ significantly between HFASD and TD conditions on any of the BASC-2 scales, the CDI, or the MASC.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., Text Revision). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington: American Psychiatric Publishing.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, P. N., Skogli, E., Hovik, K., Egeland, J., & Oie, M. (2015). Associations among symptoms of autism, symptoms of depression, and executive functions in children with high-functioning autism: A 2 year follow-up study. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45, 2497–2507. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2415-8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baio, J., Wiggins, L., Christensen, D. L., Maenner, M. J., Daniels, J., Warren, Z., et al. (2018). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 8 years—Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2014. MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 67(6), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.ss6706a1.

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Barnhill, G., Hagiwara, T., Myles, B. S., Simpson, R. L., Brick, M. L., & Griswold, D. (2001). Parent, teacher, and self-report of problem and adaptive behaviors in children and adolescents with Asperger syndrome. Diagnostique, 25, 147–167.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baron-Cohen, S. (2002). The extreme male brain theory of autism. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 6, 248–254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baron-Cohen, S., Leslie, A. M., & Frith, U. (1985). Does the autistic child have a “theory of mind”? Cognition, 21, 37–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bellini, S. (2004). Social skill deficits and anxiety in high-functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 19(2), 78–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bird, G., & Cook, R. (2013). Mixed emotions: The contribution of alexithymia to emotional symptoms of autism. Translational Psychiatry, 3, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2013.61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bitsika, V., & Sharpley, C. F. (2015). A comparison of self-vs parent reports of generalised anxiety disorder symptomatology across six age groups for boys with an ASD. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 27, 249–261. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-014-9413-1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cantwell, D. P., Lewinsohn, P. M., Rohde, P., & Selley, J. R. (1997). Correspondence between adolescent report and parent report of psychiatric diagnostic data. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 610–619.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Craig, F., Margari, F., Legrottaglie, A. R., Palumbi, R., de Giambattista, C., & Margari, L. (2016). A review of executive function deficits in autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 2016, 1191–1202. https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S104620.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Danckaerts, M., Heptinstall, E., Chadwick, O., & Taylor, E. (1999). Self-report of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder in adolescents. Psychopathology, 32, 81–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De-la-Iglesia, M., & Olivar, J. (2015). Risk factors for depression in children and adolescents with high functioning autism spectrum disorders. The Scientific World Journal, 2015, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/127853.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farrugia, S., & Hudson, J. (2006). Anxiety in adolescents with Asperger syndrome: Negative thoughts, behavioral problems, and life interference. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 21, 25–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Lang, A.-G., & Buchner, A. (2007). G*Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behavior Research Methods, 39, 175–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer, M., Barkley, R. A., Fletcher, K. E., & Smallish, L. (1993). The stability of dimensions of behavior in ADHD and normal children over an 8-year followup. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 21, 315–337.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hagopian, L., & Jennet, H. (2014). Behavioral assessment and treatment of anxiety for those with autism spectrum disorder. In J. Matson (Ed.), Handbook of autism and anxiety (pp. 155–169). Switzerland: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Happe, F. (2003). Theory of mind and the self. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1001, 134–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrison, J. R., Vannest, K. J., & Reynolds, C. R. (2011). Behaviors that discriminate ADHD in children and adolescents: Primary symptoms, symptoms of comorbid conditions, or indicators of functional impairment? Journal of Attention Disorders, 15, 147–160. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054709356170.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hartung, C. M., McCarthy, D. M., Milich, R., & Martin, C. A. (2005). Parent-adolescent agreement on disruptive behavior symptoms: A multitrait-multimethod model. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 27, 159–168. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-005-0632-8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hass, M. R., Brown, R. S., Brady, J., & Boehm Johnson, D. (2012). Validating the BASC-TRS for use with children and adolescents with an educational diagnosis of autism. Remedial and Special Education, 33, 173–183. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932510383160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heaton, P., Reichenbacher, L., Sauter, D., Allen, R., Scott, S., & Hill, E. (2012). Measuring the effects of alexithymia on perception of emotional vocalizations in autistic spectrum disorder and typical development. Psychological Medicine, 42, 2453–2459. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291712000621.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, E. L. (2004). Evaluating the theory of executive dysfunction in autism. Developmental Review, 24, 189–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2004.01.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jang, J., Matson, J., Williams, L., Tureck, K., Goldin, R., & Cervantes, P. (2013). Rates of comorbid symptoms in children with ASD, ADHD, and comorbid ASD and ADHD. Research in Developmental Disorders, 34, 2369–2378. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2013.04.021.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaat, A. J., & Lecavalier, L. (2015). Reliability and validity of parent- and child-rated anxiety measures in autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45, 3219–3231. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2481-y.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, Y. S., Leventhal, B. L., Koh, Y., Fombonne, E., Laska, E., Lim, E., et al. (2011). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in a total population sample. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 168, 904–912.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klimkeit, E., Graham, C., Lee, P., Morling, M., Russo, D., & Tonge, B. (2006). Self-report of feelings and behaviors in primary-school-age children with ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 10, 181–191. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054706289926.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kovacs, M. (2003). Children’s Depression Inventory. North Tonawanda: Multi-Health Systems Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lopata, C., Toomey, J., Fox, J. D., Volker, M. A., Chow, S. Y., Thomeer, M. L., et al. (2010). Anxiety and depression in children with HFSADs: Symptom levels and source differences. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 38, 765–776. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-010-9406-1.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lopata, C., Volker, M. A., Putnam, S. K., Thomeer, M. L., & Nida, R. E. (2008). Effect of social familiarity on salivary cortisol and self-report of social anxiety and stress in children with high functioning autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38, 1866–1877. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-008-0575-5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lord, C., Rutter, M., DiLavore, P. C., Risi, S., Gotham, K., & Bishop, S. L. (2012). Autism diagnostic observation schedule (2nd ed.). Torrance: Western Psychological Services.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lufi, D., & Parish-Plass, J. (1995). Personality assessment of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 51, 94–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • March, J. S., James, P. D., Sullivan, K., Stallings, P., & Conners, K. (1997). The Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) factory structure, reliability, and validity. The Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 554–565. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-199704000-00019.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • March, J. S. & MHS Staff (1997). Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children. North Tonawanda: Multi-Health Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matson, J. L., & Williams, L. W. (2014). Depression and mood disorders among persons with autism spectrum disorders. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 35, 2003–2007. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2014.04.020.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mayes, S. D., Gorman, A. A., Hillwig-Garcia, J., & Syed, E. (2013). Suicide ideation and attempts in children with autism. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 7, 109–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mazefsky, C. A., Kao, J., & Oswald, D. P. (2011). Preliminary evidence suggesting caution in the use of psychiatric self-report measures with adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorder, 5, 164–174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mazzone, L., Ruta, L., & Reale, L. (2012). Psychiatric comorbidities in asperger syndrome and high functioning autism: Diagnostic challenges. Annals of General Psychiatry, 11(16), 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ozsivadjian, A., Hibberd, C., & Hollocks, M. J. (2014). Brief report: The use of self-report measures in young people with autism spectrum disorder to access symptoms of anxiety, depression and negative thoughts. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44, 969–974. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1937-1.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pelham, W. E., Fabiano, G. A., & Massetti, G. M. (2005). Evidence-based assessment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 34, 449–476. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15374424jccp3403_5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pellicano, E. (2012). The development of executive function in autism. Autism Research and Treatment, 2012, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/146132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pitzianti, M., D’Agati, E., Pontis, M., Baratta, A., Casarelli, L., Spiridigliozzi, S., et al. (2016). Comorbidity of ADHD and high-functioning autism. Journal of Psychiatric Practice, 22, 22–30. https://doi.org/10.1097/PRS.0000000000000120.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, C. R., & Kamphaus, R. W. (2004). Behavior assessment system for children (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rietz, E. D., Cheung, C. H., McLoughlin, G., Brandeis, D., Banaschewski, T., Asherson, P., et al. (2016). Self-report of ADHD shows limited agreement with objective markers of persistence and remittance. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 82, 91–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, M., Le Couteur, & Lord, C. (2003). Autism diagnostic interview (revised edition). Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sattler, J. M. (2008). Assessment of children: Cognitive foundations (5th ed.). La Mesa: Jerome M. Sattler, Publisher, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spek, A. A., Scholte, E. M., & Van Berckalaer-Onnes, I. A. (2010). Theory of mind in adults with HFA and Asperger syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40, 280–289. https://doi.org/10.1017/s10803-009-0860-y.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tellegen, A., & Briggs, P. F. (1967). Old wine in new skins: Grouping Wechsler subtests into new scales. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 31, 499–506.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ung, D., Wood, J. J., Ehrenreich-May, J., Arnold, E. B., Fujii, C., Renno, P., et al. (2013). Clinical characteristics of high-functioning youth with autism spectrum disorder and anxiety. Neuropsychiatry, 3, 147–157. https://doi.org/10.2217/npy.13.9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Steensel, F. J. A., Bogels, S., & Perrin, S. (2011). Anxiety disorders in children and adolescents with autistic spectrum disorders: A meta-analysis. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 14, 302–317. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-011-0097-0.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • van Steensel, F. J. A., & Heeman, E. J. (2017). Anxiety levels in children with autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analysis. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26, 1753–1767. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0687-7.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Volker, M. A. (2012). Introduction to the special issue: High-functioning autism spectrum disorders in the schools. Psychology in the Schools, 49, 911–916. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.21653.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Volker, M. A., Lopata, C., Smerbeck, A. M., Knoll, V. A., Thomeer, M. L., Toomey, J. A., & Rodgers, J. D. (2010). BASC-2 PRS profiles for students with high functioning autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40, 188–199. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-009-0849-6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wechsler, D. (2003). Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (4th edition; WISC-IV). San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitcomb, S. A. (2018). Behavioral, social, and emotional assessment of children and adolescents (5th ed.). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • White, S. W., Schry, A. R., & Maddox, B. B. (2012). Brief report: The assessment of anxiety in high-functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42, 1138–1145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woolley, M. E., & Curtis, H. W. (2007). Assessing depression in latency-age children: A guide for school social workers. Children & Schools, 29, 209–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Michigan State University, 431 Erickson Hall, 620 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI, 48823, USA

    Janelle M. Taylor, Martin A. Volker & Kristin M. Rispoli

  2. Institute for Autism Research, Canisius College, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Jonathan D. Rodgers, Macus L. Thomeer & Christopher Lopata

  3. Private Practice, Columbus, OH, USA

    Sabrina Y. Chow

  4. The Summit Center, Getzville, NY, USA

    Jennifer A. Toomey

  5. Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA

    A. Smerbeck

Authors
  1. Janelle M. Taylor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Martin A. Volker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kristin M. Rispoli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jonathan D. Rodgers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Macus L. Thomeer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Christopher Lopata
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Sabrina Y. Chow
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Jennifer A. Toomey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. A. Smerbeck
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

JMT conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, statistical analyses, and drafted the manuscript; MAV conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, statistical analyses, and drafted the manuscript; KMR participated in the design and coordination of the study, and helped to draft and revise the manuscript; JDR participated in design and coordination of the study, supervised data collection and management, and contributed to interpretation of the data; MLT participated in design and coordination of the study, contributed to data acquisition, and contributed to manuscript preparation and revision; CL participated in design and coordination of the study, contributed to data acquisition, and contributed to manuscript preparation and revision; SYC participated in the design, participant recruitment, statistical analysis, and interpretation of the data; JAT participated in the design, matching, interpretation of the data, and manuscript revision; and AS participated in the design, matching, interpretation of the data, and manuscript revision. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Janelle M. Taylor.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

Informed Consent

Informed parent consent was obtained from all parents and child assent was obtained from all child participants included in the study.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Taylor, J.M., Volker, M.A., Rispoli, K.M. et al. Depression, Anxiety, and Hyperactivity in Youth with HFASD: A Replication and Extension of Symptom Level Differences in Self-Report Versus Parent Report. J Autism Dev Disord 50, 2424–2438 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3779-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3779-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation