Emotion Regulation as a Transdiagnostic Feature in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

AbstractPurpose of ReviewEmotion regulation is recognized as a core underlying dimension common across psychiatric disorders and could be conceptualized as a transdiagnostic feature (i.e., mechanism underlying comorbidity). This review highlights recent research examining emotion regulation in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).Recent FindingsDifficulties with emotion regulation are increasingly recognized as common deficits in children with ADHD and ASD. Research indicates that emotion regulation transmits risk for co-occurring disorders within a diagnostic grouping (i.e., neurodevelopment disorders; homotypic comorbidity) and across different diagnostic groupings (i.e., neurodevelopmental disorder –mood disorder; heterotypic comorbidity) in children with ADHD and ASD.SummaryWhile this review provides support for the conceptualization of emotion regulation as a transdiagnostic feature in ADHD and ASD, further research examining emotion regulation in children with other neurodevelopmental disorders is needed. The field of neurodevelopmental disorders should examine emotion regulation from a developmental perspective and needs to develop valid assessments of emotion regulation.
Source: Current Developmental Disorders Reports - Category: Child Development Source Type: research