Study: AuDHD Children Face Elevated Risk for Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome

January 27, 2025Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS) are distinct disorders, despite overlapping symptoms and high rates of comorbidity with ADHD, suggests a new study published in Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology1.The study found that autistic children with ADHD (auDHD) have a higher risk for CDS than do those with only one of these disorders.

However, only 6% of the 2,000-plus children studied had an autism diagnosis without ADHD, a relatively small sample compared to the roughly 950 autistic subjects with ADHD.CDS, previously called “sluggish cognitive tempo,” was also found to be significantly correlated with anxiety and depression, a finding supported by previous research2.With its internal distractibility, slow pace of movement, and daytime sleepiness, CDS impacts up to 40% of children with ADHD3 and around 30% to 63% of children with inattentive ADHD.

Although the condition also co-occurs with ASD, research studying the link is scarce, and CDS is not formally recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM).“Most studies examining CDS in youth with ADHD have failed to evaluate for and rule autism in or out, which is important given that most referred children with autism also have ADHD,” the researchers wrote. “The primary aim of our study was to determine if the relationship between autism and CDS is due to overlapping traits or whether the two conditions are empirically distinct.”Distinguishing CDS from other disorders, like ASD, ADHD, and depression, can be difficult for clinicians due to lookalike symptoms, according to Joseph Frederick, Ph.D., in his 2023 ADDitude webinar, “Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome: A Distinct Kind of.