title: The association between autism spectrum disorder and psychotic experiences in the Avon longitudinal study of parents and children (ALSPAC) birth cohort.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Studies report overlap between autism spectrum disorders and psychosis. This may indicate a relationship between the 2 disorders or an artificial overlap due to similarity of symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate whether autism spectrum disorder and autistic traits predict psychotic experiences in early adolescence.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study analyzes prospective data from a cohort. A dataset was analyzed of 5,359 cohort members who had provided data on autistic traits and/or a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder and psychotic experiences at age 12 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder (odds ratio = 2.81, 95% confidence interval = 1.07, 7.34 p = .035) and childhood autistic traits (odds ratio = 1.15, 95% confidence interval = 1.05, 1.26 p = .0018) were associated with psychotic experiences after adjustment for confounders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest a shared neurodevelopmental origin for autism and psychosis.
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine at the University of Bristol, UK. sarah.sullivan@bristol.ac.uk
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: Dheeraj
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rai
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Golding
authors.forename: Stan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zammit
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Steer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC); autism spectrum disorder; birth cohort; longitudinal; psychotic experiences