ArticleFrontiers in psychiatry2022
Hyperfocus or flow? Attentional strengths in autism spectrum disorder.
Article in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 45 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic Review: Convergence and Divergence Between Autism Spectrum Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Genetic, Neuroimaging, and Cognitive Findings.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Are we Missing Character in Strengths-Based Approaches to Coaching and Therapy for Autistic People?Autism in adulthood · 2026Article
- Attentional Dynamics During Emotional Face Processing Differentiate Alexithymia From Mood and Affective Symptoms.Journal of personality · 2026Article
- College Students Recognize Characteristics of Autism, but Struggle to Differentiate Between Characteristics of Autism and Other Disabilities.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Temperamental Traits and Sensory Responsiveness in Children on the Autism Spectrum: The Moderating Role of Age.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Associations Between Second-Language Proficiency and Executive Functions in Autistic and Neurotypical Children.Open mind : discoveries in cognitive science · 2026Article
- It is More Anxiousness than Role-playing: Social Camouflaging Conceptualization Among Adults on the Autism Spectrum Compared to Persons with Social Anxiety Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2025Article
- Towards Optimal Health Through Boredom Aversion Based on Experiencing Psychological Flow in a Self-Directed Exercise Regime-A Scoping Review of Recent Research.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- The distribution of parent-reported autistic and subclinical ADHD traits in children with and without an autism diagnosis.JCPP advances · 2025Article
- Network changes associated with right anterior temporal lobe atrophy: insight into unique symptoms.Brain communications · 2025Article
- Neural correlates of the deployment of spatial attention, and their modulation by repetitive movements.PloS one · 2025Article
- Sensory-movement underpinnings of lifelong neurodivergence: getting a grip on autism.Frontiers in integrative neuroscience · 2025Article
- Integrating tailored approaches in perioperative care strategies for neurodivergent individuals.EClinicalMedicine · 2024Review
- "In a State of Flow": A Qualitative Examination of Autistic Adults' Phenomenological Experiences of Task Immersion.Autism in adulthood · 2024Article
- Identifying cognitive profiles in children with neurodevelopmental disorders using online cognitive testing.Clinical child psychology and psychiatry · 2024Article
- Assessment of Sensory Processing Issues in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Experiences of Maltreatment.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Unraveling shared susceptibility loci and Mendelian genetic associations linking educational attainment with multiple neuropsychiatric disorders.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The comorbidity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses is well established. An ASD diagnosis is associated with elevated ADHD traits and symptoms, as well as strengths in attention. In the ASD literature, attentional strengths have been described as maladaptive (e.g., hyperfocus), in contrast with positive portrayals in the typically developing population (e.g., flow). The objective of this study was to (1) compare profiles of attentional strengths and weaknesses in ASD and ADHD and (2) determine whether attentional strengths in ASD are associated with impairment, poorer cognitive flexibility, and perseveration/perfectionism. In a community sample of 5,744 children and youth, 131 children were reported as having a diagnosis of ASD (mean age 10.3 years) and 346 children were reported as having a diagnosis of ADHD (mean age 10.7 years). We used the Strengths and Weaknesses of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity-symptoms and Normal-behaviors (SWAN) rating scale to calculate attentional and hyperactive/impulse control strength and weakness counts and scores. The Autism-Spectrum Quotient Switching factor served as a measure of cognitive flexibility. Impairment was assessed with the Columbia Impairment Scale. We used the symmetry/ordering factor on the Toronto Obsessive-Compulsive Scale as a measure of perseveration/perfectionism. No differences were found between the ADHD and ASD groups in SWAN weakness scores, symptoms, or hyperactive/impulse control strengths; however, autistic children had higher rates of attentional strengths [odds ratio: 5.7, 95% CI (2.8, 11.6),
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