Mental health impact of autism on families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities of genetic origin

Abstract Background Many children with an intellectual or developmental disability (IDD) have associated autism spectrum disorders (ASD), as well as an increased risk of mental health difficulties. In a cohort with IDD of genetic aetiology, we tested the hypothesis that excess risk attached to those with ASD + IDD, in terms of both children's mental health and parental psychological distress. Methods Participants with a copy number variant or single nucleotide variant (5–19 years) were recruited via UK National Health Service. 1904 caregivers competed an online assessment of child mental health and reported on their own psychological wellbeing. We used regression to examine the association between IDD with and without co‐occurring ASD, and co‐occurring mental health difficulties, as well as with parental psychological distress. We adjusted for children's sex, developmental level, physical health, and socio‐economic deprivation. Results Of the 1904 participants with IDD, 701 (36.8%) had co‐occurring ASD. Children with both IDD and ASD were at higher risk of associated disorders than those with IDD alone (ADHD: OR = 1.84, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.46–2.32, p