additudemag.com
95%
875
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.