Investigation of autism spectrum disorder symptoms in parents of children diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Many studies have shown that individuals diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) exhibit social and communicative deficiencies. The aim of this study is to compare the parents of children diagnosed with ADHD with the parents of children who are seen for other reasons or are being followed up for other issues, in terms of autism symptom levels. Additionally, it examines whether the severity of ADHD symptoms correlates with the severity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms. In our study, socio-demographic data was collected using a "Personal Information Form" prepared by the researchers, autism symptoms were measured using the "Autism Questionnaire," and ADHD symptoms were measured using the "Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Self-Report Scale." The study included 66 parents of children diagnosed with ADHD who were examined and followed up in a specialized child psychiatry clinic, as well as a control group of 66 parents of children without ADHD or autism diagnoses but who were seen for other psychopathologies or symptoms. Our research found no significant difference in ASD symptom levels between the parents of children with ADHD and the control group parents. However, there was a significant positive correlation between the autism scale communication scores and the ADHD scale scores in the parent group with children diagnosed with ADHD. The ADHD self-report scale scores of parents with children diagnosed with ADHD were significantly higher than those of the control group parents. Among both the parents of children with ADHD and all participants, those who reported having a psychiatric diagnosis or receiving psychological support had significantly higher ADHD self-report scale scores compared to those who did not report any psychiatric illness or psychological support. In conclusion, there is a need for larger-scale studies examining the social and communicative skills and autism symptoms in parents of children diagnosed with ADHD.