Although comorbid or co-occurring psychiatric diagnoses such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorders, depression, and oppositional defiant or conduct disorders have been well studied in children or adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), very little research is available on preschool samples. The current study involves 175 preschoolers with ASDs attending a day-treatment preschool for interdisciplinary services in a clinical psychiatric hospital. Two different diagnostic instruments were used not only to determine clinical cutoffs for the previously mentioned disorders but also to confirm ASDs diagnoses. Although most comorbid diagnoses were found at rates comparable to those found in previous studies, depression or dysthymia tended to be prevalent at much higher levels than expected. Practical implications of these findings are discussed.
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