Caregiver and youth inter‐rater assessment agreement in autism spectrum disorder, developmental coordination disorder, and typical development

Abstract

Youth diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and those with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) are at heightened risk for co‐occurring mental health diagnoses, especially anxiety and attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, caregiver‐child agreement on presence of related symptoms in populations with neurodevelopmental conditions is not well understood. Here, we examine the extent to which 37 ASD, 26 DCD, and 40 typically developing children and their caregivers agree on the degree of the child's symptoms of anxiety and ADHD. All caregiver‐child dyads completed the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders and Conners 3 ADHD Index. Across groups, intraclass correlations indicated generally poor agreement on anxiety and ADHD symptomatology. Although youth generally reported greater internalizing symptoms (i.e., anxiety), caregivers tended to report more observable externalizing behaviors (i.e., ADHD). Together, the results of this study support the need for a multi‐informant approach in assessments of anxiety and ADHD in youth with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Interoception in Autism: A Narrative Review of Behavioral and Neurobiological Data

“… 53 Previous studies have reported challenges with self-evaluation in autism, as autistic individuals may have limited insight into their anxious thoughts and feelings, leading to difficulties in accurately identifying and reporting internalizing symptoms. 49 , 54 , 55 Additionally, it may be that, similar to exteroception, autistic individuals may have hyper- or hypo-interoceptive reactivity, or combined patterns, making it difficult to interpret a mean score. 45 , 46 Thus, when assessing interoceptive accuracy, it has been suggested to incorporate multiple measures.…”