As the semester comes to a close, I’ve begun to establish details regarding my McNair research project. This project is something that I want to be my “life’s work.” I’d like to pursue this vein of research throughout my academic and professional career. I will be studying the differences and similarities between ASD (autism spectrum disorder) symptoms and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) symptoms. I’ve already begun my research, and the literature so far states that most overlapping symptoms have to do with social communication, but that the reasons behind the symptoms differ between disorders. For example, those with ADHD may have social communication deficits due in part to their inattentive and hyperactive symptoms, but those with ASD may have social communication deficits due in part to inhibited social awareness and rigidity/inflexibility characteristic of ASD. Literature also shows that inattention is an overlapping symptom, but different parts of the brain are affected when shifting attention, and regions affected are disorder specific. I’m studying these overlapping symptoms and how they differ because there is a significant problem with how ASD and ADHD are diagnosed. ADHD is often misdiagnosed as ASD and vice versa. This is an issue because if individuals receive incorrect diagnoses, they may not receive effective treatment for their actual diagnosis. Previous research methods involve behavioral observation, either naturalistic or controlled, or parent-reporting techniques. These have proven to be insufficient. They focus on and measure the behavior itself-how it manifests, how often it manifests, etc., which only gives us surface information. If we dug a little deeper, we would understand the reasons behind overlapping symptoms--brain regions affected and reasons behind the behavior may help us to understand which diagnosis would be more appropriate. I would love to do fMRI studies, but as this is my first research project and I don’t necessarily have easy access to those resources, I’ll be consulting the literature, experts in the field, and a survey sent to adults regarding symptoms of both disorders. I believe this is the first step or stage in an extensive series of research projects for me. While this project may not yield complete answers, it will provide a launchpad for me to continue my research. I would like to discover better assessment methods to diagnose ADHD and ASD, and to differentiate specifically between the two. The first step of this study is to evaluate whether symptoms overlap between the two disorders in an adult population as much as they do in minor populations, and if the prevalence of misdiagnosis in adult populations is as high as it is in children, as most of the current literature focuses on children. This study will focus on an adult sample, which is a rarely researched population in developmental disorders. This can provide better assessment methods for adults; however, I’d eventually like to expand my research to children as well. Some of the assessment methods that I find may also be generalized to children, which would be helpful for continuing research, as initial diagnosis of developmental disorders usually takes place at an earlier age. This research has the potential to completely change the way we diagnose ASD and ADHD, thus ensuring that people have access to effective treatment for their disorder.
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