Introduction
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous condition defined by social deficits, restrictive interests, and repetitive behaviors. Individuals with ASD demonstrate highly variable levels of intellectual abilities, verbal skills, and adaptive functioning (American Psychiatric Association 2013). Psychiatric and medical comorbidities are frequently co-occurring in ASD, including anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), seizure disorder, sleep disorder, and a broad range of various somatic disorders (Bauman 2010; Joshi et al. 2010; Mattila et al. 2010; Muskens et al. 2017; Simonoff et al. 2008). However, little is known about the rates of substance use problems or substance use disorder (SUD) in this group. A recent literature review found that clinical assessment of substance use among individuals with ASD is infrequent, and the overall scientific evidence and understanding of potential relationships...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References and Reading
Abdallah, M. W., Greaves-Lord, K., Grove, J., Nørgaard-Pedersen, B., Hougaard, D. M., & Mortensen, E. L. (2011). Psychiatric comorbidities in autism spectrum disorders: findings from a Danish Historic Birth Cohort. European child & adolescent psychiatry, 20(11-12), 599–601.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5®). American Psychiatric Publishing.
Arnevik, E. A., & Helverschou, S. B. (2016). Autism spectrum disorder and co-occurring substance use disorder – A systematic review. Substance Abuse: Research and Treatment, 10, SART.S39921. https://doi.org/10.4137/SART.S39921.
Baio, J., Wiggins, L., Christensen, D. L., Maenner, M. J., Daniels, J., Warren, Z., et al. (2018). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 8 years – Autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network, 11 sites, United States, 2014. MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 67(6), 1.
Bauman, M. L. (2010). Medical comorbidities in autism: Challenges to diagnosis and treatment. Neurotherapeutics, 7(3), 320–327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurt.2010.06.001.
Howlin, P. (2005). Outcomes in autism spectrum disorders. In Handbook of autism and pervasive developmental disorders (Vol. 1, pp. 201–220). John Wiley & Sons Inc, 1997 New York.
Howlin, P., Goode, S., Hutton, J., & Rutter, M. (2004). Adult outcome for children with autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45(2), 212–229.
Joshi, G., Petty, C., Wozniak, J., Henin, A., Fried, R., Galdo, M., et al. (2010). The heavy burden of psychiatric comorbidity in youth with autism spectrum disorders: A large comparative study of a psychiatrically referred population. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40(11), 1361–1370.
Kronenberg, L. M., Slager-Visscher, K., Goossens, P. J., van den Brink, W., & van Achterberg, T. (2014). Everyday life consequences of substance use in adult patients with a substance use disorder (SUD) and co-occurring attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD): A patient’s perspective. BMC Psychiatry, 14(1), 194. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-014-0264-1.
Mattila, M.-L., Hurtig, T., Haapsamo, H., Jussila, K., Kuusikko-Gauffin, S., Kielinen, M., et al. (2010). Comorbid psychiatric disorders associated with Asperger syndrome/high-functioning autism: A community-and clinic-based study. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40(9), 1080–1093.
Muskens, J. B., Velders, F. P., & Staal, W. G. (2017). Medical comorbidities in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders: A systematic review. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 26(9), 1093–1103. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-017-1020-0.
Palmquist, E., Claeson, A.-S., Neely, G., Stenberg, B., & Nordin, S. (2014). Overlap in prevalence between various types of environmental intolerance. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 217(4-5), 427–434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2013.08.005.
Siegel, M., & Beaulieu, A. A. (2011). Psychotropic medications in children with autism spectrum disorders: A systematic review and synthesis for evidence-based practice. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(8), 1592–1605. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1399-2.
Simonoff, E., Pickles, A., Charman, T., Chandler, S., Loucas, T., & Baird, G. (2008). Psychiatric disorders in children with autism spectrum disorders: Prevalence, comorbidity, and associated factors in a population-derived sample. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 47(8), 921–929. https://doi.org/10.1097/CHI.0b013e318179964f.
Williamson, E. D., & Martin, A. (2010). Psychotropic medications in autism: Practical considerations for parents. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(6), 1249–1255. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-010-1144-2.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature
About this entry
Cite this entry
Øien, R.A., Nordahl-Hansen, A., Chawarski, M. (2019). Substance Use Problems/Disorders in Individuals with ASD. In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102122-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102122-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-6435-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6435-8
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences