title: Psychopathology in children and adolescents with autism compared to young people with intellectual disability.
abstract: Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a specific pattern of behavioural, communication and social problems. Additional mental health problems are often poorly understood and undetected. This study investigates the level and pattern of emotional and behavioural problems in young people with autism compared with children with intellectual disability (ID). Subjects were 381 young people with autism and a representative group of 581 Australian young people with ID aged 4-18 years. Parents/carers provided details of the emotional and behavioural problems of their child using the Developmental Behaviour Checklist (DBC-P). Young people with autism were found to suffer from significantly higher levels of psychopathology than young people with ID. The implications of this finding are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Monash Medical Centre, Monash University Centre for Developmental Psychiatry & Psychology, 246 Clayton Rd, Clayton, Vic., 3168, Australia. avril.brereton@med.monash.edu.au
authors.forename: Avril V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Brereton
authors.forename: Bruce J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Tonge
authors.forename: Stewart L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Einfeld
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data