[Assessment of anxiety in autism spectrum disorders and in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder]. / Valoracion de la ansiedad en los trastornos del espectro autista y en el trastorno por deficit de atencion/hiperactividad.

INTRODUCTION: The identification of factors that influence attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism spectrum disorders (ASD) will allow the development of intervention strategies that will benefit the personal and social adjustment of these individuals. It is well known that children with developmental disorders have a higher risk of presenting symptoms of anxiety than typically developing children. AIM: To assess the perception of anxiety of a group of children and adolescents with ADHD or ASD and the anxiety their parents believe their children have, through the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorder (SCARED). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Participants were 107 children and adolescents, 73 diagnosed with ADHD and 34 with ASD, with ages ranging between 8 and 17 years (91 boys and 16 girls), and their respective fathers or mothers (53 fathers and 54 mothers). All participants completed the corresponding version of the SCARED in the presence of one of the researchers. RESULTS: The results show differences in anxiety factors. Usually, these differences indicate higher levels of anxiety-both in parents and in children-in children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD versus those diagnosed with ASD. CONCLUSIONS: There are significant differences between the levels of anxiety shown both by children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD and those diagnosed with ASD, and in the levels of anxiety perceived by their parents.

TITLE: Valoracion de la ansiedad en los trastornos del espectro autista y en el trastorno por deficit de atencion/hiperactividad.Introduccion. La identificacion de factores que estan influyendo en el trastorno por deficit de atencion/hiperactividad (TDAH) o en los trastornos del espectro autista (TEA) permitira desarrollar estrategias de intervencion que repercutiran en beneficio de su ajuste personal y social. Es de sobra conocido que los niños con trastornos del desarrollo presentan mayor riesgo de manifestar sintomas de ansiedad que los que tienen desarrollo tipico. Objetivo. Valorar la percepcion que de la ansiedad tiene un grupo de niños y adolescentes con TDAH o TEA y la que creen los padres que poseen sus hijos mediante el Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorder (SCARED). Sujetos y metodos. Muestra de 107 niños y adolescentes, 73 diagnosticados de TDAH y 34 de TEA, con edades comprendidas entre 8 y 17 años (91 niños y 16 niñas), y sus respectivos padres o madres (53 padres y 54 madres). Todos cumplimentaron la correspondiente version del SCARED en presencia de alguno de los investigadores. Resultados. Los resultados muestran diferencias en los factores de ansiedad. Generalmente estas diferencias indican mayores niveles de ansiedad, tanto en los padres como en los hijos, en los niños y adolescentes diagnosticados de TDAH frente a los diagnosticados de TEA. Conclusiones. Hay diferencias significativas tanto entre los niveles de ansiedad mostrados por los niños y adolescentes diagnosticados de TDAH y los diagnosticados de TEA, como en los niveles de ansiedad percibida por sus padres.

Estimación de la prevalencia de los trastornos del espectro autista en Canarias / Estimated prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in the Canary Islands

Objetivos: Hacer una primera estimación de la prevalencia de los trastornos del espectro autista (TEA) en la población infantil de la provincia de Las Palmas (España). Material y método: Estudio descriptivo en el que han participado 1.796 niños con edades comprendidas entre los 18 y los 36 meses que participan en el Programa de Salud Infantil de la Comunidad Autónoma de Canarias (España), concretamente de la provincia de Las Palmas que cuenta con una población de 1.090.605. Los padres cumplimentan el Cuestionario de Desarrollo Comunicativo y Social en la Infancia en su versión española (M-CHAT/ES) en las consultas de pediatría y, posteriormente, los casos positivos son diagnosticados por expertos utilizando la Entrevista para el Diagnóstico del Autismo-Revisado (ADIR) y la Escala de Observación para el Diagnóstico del Autismo (ADOS). Resultados: Se ha obtenido una prevalencia de TEA del 0,61%, similar a la obtenida en estudios anteriores con el mismo instrumento. La ratio por sexo es 6 niñas por cada 5 niños, diferente, por tanto, de la aportada por estudios previos que informaban de más niños que niñas. Esto puede ser debido al tamaño de la muestra que debemos ampliar en estudios posteriores para confirmar este resultado. Conclusiones: Se debe seguir aumentando la muestra y ampliar a otros rangos de edad para hacer inferencias de prevalencia más fiables. En cuanto a la distribución por sexo, podría explicarse por el pequeño tamaño de la muestra, debiéndose confirmar en futuras investigaciones (AU)

Aims: To make an initial estimate of the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) among children in the province of Las Palmas (Spain). Material and methods: Descriptive study was conducted on 1,796 children between the ages of 18 and 30 months of age, all part of the Child Health Surveillance of the Canary Islands, more specifically the province of Las Palmas, with a population of 1,090,605. The parents of children involved completed the Spanish version of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (MCHAT/ES) in the paediatric clinic. The positive cases were then diagnosed by experts by means of the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADIR) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS). Results: A 0.61% prevalence of ASDs was determined, similar to that reported in previous studies using the same tools. The ratio was six girls for every five boys. This was contrary to the results of previous studies which suggested more boys than girls were affected. This may have been due to the sample size, which will have to be increased in future studies to confirm this outcome. Conclusions: An increased sample size and also spread to other age ranges should be used in order to obtain a more reliable estimate of prevalence. As regards the gender ratio, this could be a result of the small size of the sample researched, and should therefore be confirmed by further studies (AU)

[Estimated prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in the Canary Islands]. / Estimación de la prevalencia de los trastornos del espectro autista en Canarias.

AIMS: To make an initial estimate of the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) among children in the province of Las Palmas (Spain). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Descriptive study was conducted on 1,796 children between the ages of 18 and 30 months of age, all part of the Child Health Surveillance of the Canary Islands, more specifically the province of Las Palmas, with a population of 1,090,605. The parents of children involved completed the Spanish version of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT/ES) in the paediatric clinic. The positive cases were then diagnosed by experts by means of the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADIR) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS). RESULTS: A 0.61% prevalence of ASDs was determined, similar to that reported in previous studies using the same tools. The ratio was six girls for every five boys. This was contrary to the results of previous studies which suggested more boys than girls were affected. This may have been due to the sample size, which will have to be increased in future studies to confirm this outcome. CONCLUSIONS: An increased sample size and also spread to other age ranges should be used in order to obtain a more reliable estimate of prevalence. As regards the gender ratio, this could be a result of the small size of the sample researched, and should therefore be confirmed by further studies.