Multiple Diagnoses

Autism is a complex spectrum of disorders, and it's not at all uncommon for children with the disorder tend to have other psychiatric problems: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety and mood disorders, among others.In fact, 95 percent of these children have at least three other psychiatric disorders, and 74 percent have five or more, according to a study in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.More than 80 percent of kids with autism have ADHD, making it the most common co-diagnosis; 61 percent have two or more anxiety disorders — notably, agoraphobia — and 56 percent have major depression.Read more at...SFARI, May 2010.