The aim of the present study was to establish diagnostic validity of the new algorithm of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale, the ADOS-2, to differentiate between ASD and other clinically relevant psychiatric and developmental disorders in a large German sample.
Parents reported that children with ASD had high levels of anxiety and stress, and attachment insecurity in children (less closeness and more conflict in attachment relationships, and more inhibited attachment behaviours) compared with children with other developmental disabilities.
Interestingly, rats bred to be seizure-prone (Fast), unlike those bred for seizure-resistance (Slow), naturally exhibit behaviors and physiology reminiscent of ADHD/ASD in humans, suggesting a fundamental link between seizure disposition and these developmental disorders.