title: Profiles of children with Down syndrome who meet screening criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD): a comparison with children diagnosed with ASD attending specialist schools.
abstract: Recent research suggests that around 16% to 18% of children with Down syndrome (DS) also meet diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, there are indications that profiles of autism symptoms in this group may vary from those typically described in children with ASD.
  
  
  
  Rates of autism symptoms and emotional and behavioural problems among children with DS who screened positive for ASD on the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) (n = 183) were compared with a group of children with clinical diagnoses of ASD (n = 189) attending specialist schools in the UK. Groups were matched for age and approximate language level (use of phrase speech).
  
  
  
  Profiles of autistic symptoms in the two groups were generally similar, but children with DS meeting ASD cut-off on the SCQ tended to show fewer problems in reciprocal social interaction than those in the ASD group. They also showed slightly lower rates of emotional and peer-related problems. The results mostly confirm findings from a previous study in which the original validation sample for the SCQ was used as a comparison group.
  
  
  
  Findings suggest that children with DS who meet screening criteria for ASD show similar profiles of communication and repetitive behaviours to those typically described in autism. However, they tend to have relatively milder social difficulties. It is important that clinicians are aware of this difference if children with DS and ASD are to be correctly diagnosed and eligible for specialist intervention and education services.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Warner
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.|Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, BMRI, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Howlin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.|Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Torino, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Salomone
authors.affiliation: Cerebra Centre, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.|Department of Psychology, Institute of Child Health, Behavioural and Brain Sciences Unit, London, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moss
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Charman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004519:Education, Special / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Down syndrome; Down syndrome comorbidity; autism spectrum disorder; questionnaire; social communication