Population prevalence of psychopathology in children and adolescents with intellectual disability: II epidemiological findings

Abstract

This paper reports findings from an epidemiologically derived population in a multicentre study in NSW, Australia. The design of this study is described in the accompanying paper. Those with mild intellectual disability (ID) were likely to have been underascertained, but identification and participation rates for those with more severe ID were high. The study found that in the regions surveyed 40.7% of those with ID and aged between 4 and 18 could be classified as having severe emotional and behaviour disorder or as being psychiatrically disordered. The profoundly intellectually handicapped had lower levels of disturbance overall compared with those with mild, moderate and severe ID. The level of ID affected scores on a number of behavioural dimensions, with disruptive and antisocial behaviours more prominent in the mild ID group, and 'self-absorbed' and 'autistic' behaviours more prominent in those with severe ID. Age and sex did not affect prevalence, a finding that is in contrast to that found in general child psychopathology. The study found that fewer than 10% of children with intellectual disability and major psychiatric disorder had received specialist assistance.

Comparing Autism, PDD-NOS, and Other Developmental Disabilities on Parent-Reported Behavior Problems: Little Evidence for ASD Subtype Validity

“…The DD group provided a very stringent comparison group, with nearly 90% of the children meeting criteria for a language disorder, cognitive impairment, or another developmental disability. These children demonstrate many behaviors resembling those of ASDs (Einfeld and Tonge 1996;Bishop and Norbury 2002).…”

Psychopathology in Children and Adolescents with Autism Compared to Young People with Intellectual Disability

“…The DBC-P also provides a cluster of seven symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity (DBC-ADH) (Kenway, 1994; as well as a Depression Scale (DBC-D) which records 10 DSM-IV behavioural signs of depression . The DBC-P has been used in a broad range of research including the nature of psychiatric disorder in children with intellectual disability (Tonge et al, 1996); epidemiological studies, (Einfeld & Tonge, 1996b;Cormack, Brown, & Hastings, 2000;Dekker, Nunn, Einfeld, Tonge, & Koot, 2002;Koskentausta & Almqvist, 2004); behavioural phenotypes (Einfeld, Tonge, & Florio, 1997;Einfeld, Smith, Durvasula, Florio, & Tonge, 1999;Einfeld, Tonge, & Rees, 2001) and psychopathology in children with ID and its impact upon parental wellbeing (Hoare, Harris, Jackson, & Kerley, 1998). The DBC-P has been used to develop a screen for autism, the Developmental Behaviour Checklist Autism Screening Algorithm, (DBC-ASA) (Brereton, Tonge, Mackinnon, & Einfeld, 2002;Steinhausen & Metzke, 2004) and to differentiate the .5 0 behavioural profile in autism and mental retardation (Steinhausen & Metzke, 2004).…”

Intellectual Ability, Self-perceived Social Competence, and Depressive Symptomatology in Children with High-functioning Autistic Spectrum Disorders

“…Depression has been examined in individuals with varying levels of intellectual disability (Benson & Ivins, 1992;Einfeld & Tonge, 1996;Glenn, Bihm, & Lammers, 2003;Luftig, 1988;Reiss & Rojahn, 1993). Studies have revealed that individuals with mild intellectual disability report lower self-perceptions and more depression than those with severe intellectual disability (Benson & Ivins, 1992;Reiss & Rojahn, 1993).…”