Stimulants Treatment in Children Diagnosed with ASDּ+ADHD

Background: There is a progressive increase in prescription of stimulants for Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Previous findings suggest that patients with co-occurring ADHD and ASD might benefit from stimulants, but the knowledge is scarce and there are no clinical distinct guidelines for that matter. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of stimulant on cognitive attention performance particularly regarding processing speed in children with ASD and ADHD.

Methods: Forty children aged 6-18 years diagnosed with ASD by DSM-5 criteria who also met DSM-5 criteria for ADHD were recruited. All children performed the MOXO-CPT for assessment of cognitive attention performance three times: twice while they are drug naïve and once an hour after taking a single dose of 10 MG methylphenidate.

Results: A significant difference (p<0.05) was found in the parameter of Timing - measuring cognitive processing velocity.

Conclusion: The reaction to methylphenidate in this group significantly improved cognitive processing speed, without changing other measured attention parameters. Improving processing speed might improve every day functioning in children with ASD and ADHD. This unique response suggest new research targets for treatment with stimulants in ASD and ADHD children and its influence on cognitive parameters.