Citation

Duan S, Lee M, Wolf J, Naples AJ, McPartland JC. J. Clin. Child Adolesc. Psychol. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Yale Child Study Center, School of Medicine, Yale University.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15374416.2020.1750020

PMID

32347746

Abstract

Objective: Despite the frequent occurrence of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), few studies have investigated the relationship between depressive symptoms and adaptive functioning. The present study explored the impact of depressive symptoms on different domains of adaptive functioning in children and adolescents with ASD.Methods: Depressive symptoms and adaptive functioning were analyzed in 62 children and adolescents with ASD (20 females) and 36 children and adolescents (15 females) with typical development between 5 and 18 years of age.Results: After controlling for IQ, age and sex, higher depressive symptoms predicted lower functioning in the social domain among children and adolescents with ASD. Depressive symptoms did not significantly predict communication or daily living skills.Conclusions: These findings highlight the relevance of depression in social adaptive function in ASD and emphasize the importance of assessing depressive symptomatology when evaluating social skills and planning treatment for children and adolescents with ASD.

Language: en