Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in People with Intellectual Disability

Abstract

People with intellectual disability (ID) are more susceptible to mental disorders including mental illness and developmental disorders, such as autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The identification of comorbidities is an important task for the clinician as, in addition to clarifying the diagnosis, it carries implications for the treatment and prognosis. This chapter aims to explore the association between ID and ADHD and review the key research findings. The validity of the diagnosis of ADHD in ID is considered. The assessment issues relating to the diagnosis of ADHD in this population are discussed. The questions around treatment and management are summarized and, finally, the clinical implications are highlighted.

Stopping inappropriate medication of children with intellectual disability, autism or both: the STOMP–STAMP initiative

“…Children with intellectual disability are much more likely than neurotypical children to also have other neurodevelopmental disorders and many have autism and/or ADHD as part of their disability (Antshel 2006;Faraone 2017). It is known that ADHD is underdiagnosed in both children and adults with intellectual disability (Clark 2018;Xenitidis 2020). This is probably at least partly the result of the historic ICD-10 and DSM-IV not allowing concurrent diagnoses of autism and ADHD, which has been corrected in the updated guidance (ICD-11 and DSM-5) as more research has become available to show that intellectual disability, autism and ADHD are very often comorbid (World Health Organization 1993American Psychiatric Association 1994Clark 2018;Bougeard 2021).…”

“…(Aman 2014;Clark 2018;Tarrant 2018;Hanna 2020;Miller 2020;Xenitidis 2020;Joshi 2021;Popow 2021) Stopping the over-medication of children with intellectual disability BJPsych Advances (2023), vol. 29, 358-366 doi: 10.1192/bja.2023.14…”