Spitting is especially common
among younger children with autism, Dr. Matthew Siegel, a clinical investigator at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute, points out on the website, Autism Speaks.
Anxiety disorders are
among the most common mental disorders during childhood and adolescence,
with a prevalence of 3 — 5 % in school - age
children (6 — 12 years) and 10 — 19 % in adolescents (13 — 18 years); 1, 2 and the prevalence of anxiety disorders in this population tends to increase over time.3 Anxiety is the most common psychological symptom reported by
children and adolescents; however, presentation varies
with age as
younger patients often report undifferentiated anxiety symptoms, for example, muscle tension, headache, stomachache or angry outbursts.4 According to the standard diagnostic systems, there are various types of anxiety disorders, for example, generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), social phobias (SOP), social anxiety disorder (SAD), panic disorder (PD), overanxious disorder, separation anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive - compulsive disorder (OCD).5 Anxiety disorders in
children and adolescents often occur
with a number of comorbidities, such as
autism spectrum disorders, 6 depressive disorders, 7 conduct disorder, 8 substance abuse9 or suicide - related behaviour.10 Youths
with anxiety disorders experience serious impairment in social functioning (eg, poor school achievement; relational problems
with family members and peers).11, 12 Childhood and adolescent anxiety disorders can persist despite treatment, 1 and they are associated
with later adult psychopathology.13, 14