Table 1.
Characteristics* of children with ASD, aged 5–18 y by parent-reported lifetime history of psychiatric comorbidity (n = 4343).
| No psychiatric comorbidity | Any psychiatric comorbidity† | P value (chi-square or Wilcoxon rank) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| N (%) | 2213 (50.9) | 2130 (49.1) | |
| Gender, % | |||
| Male (n = 3625) | 50.9 | 49.1 | .861 |
| Female (n = 721) | 51.3 | 48.9 | |
| Median age (y) | 8.9 | 11.7 | <.001 |
| Current autism spectrum disorder**, % | <.001 | ||
| Autism/autistic disorder (n = 2161) | 62.9 | 37.1 | |
| PDD-NOS (n = 1024) | 50.2 | 49.9 | |
| Asperger syndrome (n = 1158) | 29.3 | 70.8 | |
| Adjusted SRS Score (n = 2373) | 85.2 | 88.0 | <.001 |
| Intellectual disability**, % | <.001 | ||
| Not reported (n = 3156) | 52.1 | 47.9 | |
| Present (n = 1170) | 47.4 | 52.6 | |
| History of specific skill lossa∗∗, % | <.001 | ||
| No loss (n = 2930) | 47.9 | 52.9 | |
| Skill loss (n = 1413) | 59.3 | 41.1 | |
| Race | .663 | ||
| White (n = 3967) | 50.7 | 49.3 | |
| Black/African-American (n = 139) | 54.0 | 46.0 | |
| Asian American (n = 54) | 55.6 | 44.4 | |
| Other (n = 183) | 53.6 | 46.5 | |
| Ethnicity**, % | .004 | ||
| Hispanic (n = 330) | 58.5 | 41.5 | |
| Not Hispanic (n = 4013) | 50.3 | 49.7 | |
| Maternal education level, % | .720 | ||
| High school or less (n = 502) | 51.8 | 48.2 | |
| Some college (n = 1561) | 49.7 | 50.3 | |
| College graduate (n = 1987) | 50.2 | 50.0 | |
| Maternal psychiatric history, % (n = 4055) | <.001 | ||
| No reported history (n = 1802) | 59.6 | 40.4 | |
| History of psychiatric illnessb (n = 2253) | 42.7 | 57.3 | |
| Initial evaluator** % | <.001 | ||
| Psychiatrist or psychologist (n = 1343) | 39.2 | 60.8 | |
| Other (n = 2999) | 56.2 | 43.8 | |
| Region**, % | <.001 | ||
| West (n = 725) | 55.9 | 44.2 | |
| All other regions (n = 3618) | 50.0 | 50.0 |
AD/HD or ADD = attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or attention-deficit disorder, respectively; SRS = Social Responsiveness Scale.
aModerate-severe loss of communication and/or social skills between ages 12 and 36 months.
bIncludes any anxiety disorder, depression, bipolar disorder, AD/HD or ADD, and/or schizophrenia.
†Any of the following comorbidities reported at the time of data collection: anxiety disorder, depression, bipolar disorder, AD/HD or ADD, or schizophrenia.
--23/4343 had history of schizophrenia (0.5%).