Thora Halldórsdóttir and Kristín Sigurdardottir on autism, ADHD, and autism-ADHD

The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health in conversation with

The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health in conversation with
Thora Halldórsdóttir and Kristín Sigurdardottir on autism, ADHD, and autism-ADHD
Jun 10, 2025
The Lancet Group

Autism and ADHD continue to be the subjects of much debate and misunderstanding and until 2013 diagnostic manuals did not allow for the co-occurrence of autism and ADHD. 

In this episode Thora Halldórsdóttir and Kristín Sigurdardottir, clinical psychologists and researchers from Iceland, join us to talk about the key findings from the study they led in Iceland that provides the first nationwide, population-based estimate of incidence and prevalence of autism, ADHD, and co-occurring autism-ADHD in young people without intellectual impairment between 2013 and 2021 assessed using gold-standard clinical methods. 

They highlight that autism more often occurs in combination with ADHD than without, that the prevalence of co-occurring psychiatric conditions is high but not universal, and that the sex differences are not as large as previously thought.

Read the full article here:

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(25)00132-4/fulltext?dgcid=buzzsprout_icw_podcast_Jun_25_lanchi

Other articles mentioned in this discussion:

Improving autism identification and support for individuals assigned female at birth: clinical suggestions and research priorities https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(23)00221-3/fulltext?dgcid=buzzsprout_icw_podcast_Jun_25_lanchi

Evidence-based kindness and empathy for autistic children https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(24)00080-4/fulltext?dgcid=buzzsprout_icw_podcast_Jun_25_lanchi


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