Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Is social anxiety disorder in childhood associated with developmental deficit/delay?

  • ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION
  • Published:
European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Children with social anxiety disorder (SAD) have been reported to display reduced social skills. Less attention has been paid to whether neurodevelopmental deficits/delays (NDD’s) in language and motor function may contribute to their impaired social skills. The present study aimed to assess the extent of language and motor impairment in children with SAD. A population-based screened sample consisting of 150 children (11–12 years) was assessed with a diagnostic interview (Kiddie-SADS), the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) and the Motor Assessment Battery for Children (MABC). Test results were compared across five diagnostic groups: SAD (n = 29); ADHD (n = 23); SAD and ADHD (n = 6); “other disorder” (n = 44) and “no disorder” (n = 48). Delays in language and motor development as reported by mother were also investigated. Verbal IQ and motor skills were reduced and maternally reported delay was more frequent in the SAD group compared to the “other disorder” and “no disorder” group.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. American Psychiatric Association (1994) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) 4th edn. American Psychiatric Association. Washington

    Google Scholar 

  2. Ambrosini PJ (2000) Historical development and present status of the schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia for school-age children (K-SADS). J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 39:49–58

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Beidel DC, Turner SM, Morris T (1999) Psychopathology of childhood social phobia. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 38:643–650

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Black B, Uhde TW (1995) Psychiatric characteristics of children with selective mutism: a pilot study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 34:847–855

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Brager-Larsen LM, Sundet K, Engvik H, Ørbeck B, Bang Nes R (2001) Psychometric properties of a Norwegian research version of the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) [abstract]. Nevropsykologi. Bull Norwegian Neuropsychol Assoc 4:70

    Google Scholar 

  6. Bruder GE, Schneier FR, Stewart JW, McGrath PJ, Quitkin F (2004) Left hemisphere dysfunction during verbal dichotic listening tests in patients who have social phobia with or without comorbid depressive disorder. Am J Psychiatry 161:72–78

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Caspi A, Henry B, McGee RO, Moffitt TE, Silva PA (1995) Temperamental origins of child and adolescent behaviour problems: from age three to age fifteen. Child Dev 66:55–68

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Chavira DA, Stein MB (2005) Childhood social anxiety disorder: from understanding to treatment. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am 14:797–818

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Clegg J, Hollis C, Mawhood L, Rutter M (2005) Developmental language disorders—a follow-up in later adult life. Cognitive, language and psychosocial outcomes. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 46:128–149

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Cohen LJ, Hollander E, DeCaria CM, Stein DJ, Simeon D, Liebowitz MR, Aronowitz BR (1996) Specificity of neuropsychological impairment in obsessive-compulsive disorder: a comparison with social phobic and normal control subjects. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 8:82–85

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Conti-Ramsden G, Botting N (2004) Social difficulties and victimization in children with SLI at 11 years of age. J Speech Lang Hear Res 47:145–161

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Croce RV, Horvat M, McCarthy E (2001) Reliability and concurrent validity of the movement assessment battery for children. Percept Mot Skills 93:275–280

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Cummins A, Piek JP, Dyck MJ (2005) Motor coordination, empathy, and social behaviour in school-aged children. Dev Med Child Neurol 47:437–442

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. DeGangi G, Poisson S, Sickel R, Wiener A (1995) The infant-toddler symptom checklist. Therapy Skill Builders, Tucson, AZ

    Google Scholar 

  15. Ehlers S, Gillberg C, Wing L (1999) A screening questionnaire for Asperger syndrome and other high-functioning autism spectrum disorders in school age children. J Autism Dev Disord 29:129–141

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Elizur Y, Perednik R (2003) Prevalence and description of selective mutism in immigrant and native families: a controlled study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 42:1451–1459

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Erez O, Gordon CR, Sever J, Sadeh A, Mintz M (2004) Balance dysfunction in childhood anxiety: findings and theoretical approach. Anxiety Disord 18:341–356

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Goodman R (2001) Psychometric properties of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 40:1337–1345

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Henderson SE, Sugden D (1992) The movement assessment battery for children. The Psychological Corporation, London

    Google Scholar 

  20. Hollander E, Weiller F, Cohen L, Kwon JH, Decaria CM, Liebowitz MR, Stein DJ (1996) Neurological soft signs in social phobia. Neuropsychiatry Neuropsychol Behav Neurol 9:182–185

    Google Scholar 

  21. Kaufman J, Birmaher B, Brent D, Rao U, Flynn C, Moreci P, Williamson D, Ryan N (1997) Schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia for school-age children—present and lifetime version (K-SADS-PL): initial reliability and validity data. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 36:980–988

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Kristensen H (2000) Selective mutism and comorbidity with developmental disorder/delay, anxiety disorder and elimination disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 39:249–256

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Kristensen H, Torgersen S (2006) Social anxiety disorder in 11–12-year-olds: the efficacy of screening and issues in parent-child agreement. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 15:163–171

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. La Greca AM, Stone WL (1993) Social anxiety scale for children-revised. Factor structure and concurrent validity. J Clin Child Psychol 22:17–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Manassis K, Fung D, Tannock R, Sloman L, Fiksenbaum L, McInnes A (2003) Characterizing selective mutism: is it more than social anxiety? Depress Anxiety 18:153–161

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. McInnes A, Manassis K (2005) When silence is not golden: an integrated approach to selective mutism. Semin Speech Language 26:201–210

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. McIntyre LL, Blacher J, Baker BL (2006) The transition to school: Adaptation in young children with and without intellectual disability. J Intellect Disabil Res 50:349–361

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Missiuna C (2003) Commentary. Childhood motor impairment is associated with male anxiety at 11 and 16 years. Evid Based Men Health 6:18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Pine DS, Wasserman GA, Fried JE, Parides M, Shaffer D (1997) Neurological soft signs. One-year stability and relationship to psychiatric symptoms in boys. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 36:1579–1586

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Rapee RM, Heimberg RG (1997) A cognitive-behavioral model of anxiety in social phobia. Behav Res Ther 35:741–756

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Richards P, Persinger MA (1994) Foot agility and social anxiety in older children (9–15 years). Percept Mot Skills 79:431–434

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Schneier FR, Blanco C, Antia SX, Liebowitz MR (2002) The social anxiety spectrum. Psychiatr Clin North Am 25:757–774

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Schoemaker MM, Kalverboer AF (1994) Social and affective problems of children who are clumsy: how early do they begin? Adapt Phys Activ Q 11:130–140

    Google Scholar 

  34. Shaffer D, Schonfeld I, O’Connor PA, Stokman C, Trautman P, Shafer S, Ng S (1985) Neurological soft signs. Their relationship to psychiatric disorder and intelligence in childhood and adolescence. Arch Gen Psychiatry 43:342–351

    Google Scholar 

  35. Sigurdsson E, van Os J, Fombonne E (2002) Are impaired motor skills a risk factor for adolescent anxiety? Results from the 1958 U.K. birth cohort and the national child development study. Am J Psychiatry 159:1044–1046

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Skinner RA, Piek JP (2001) Psychososial implications of poor motor coordination in children and adolescents. Hum Mov Sci 2:73–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Spence SH, Donovan C, Brechman-Toussaint M (1999) Social skills, social outcomes, and cognitive features of childhood social phobia. J Abnorm Psychol 108:211–221

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Steinhausen HC, Juzi C (1996) Elective mutism: an analysis of 100 cases. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 35:606–614

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Voci SC, Beitchman JH, Brownlie EB, Wilson B (2006) Social anxiety in late adolescence: the importance of early childhood language impairment. J Anxiety Disord 20:915–930

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Wechsler D (1999) Wechsler abbreviated scale of intelligence manual. Harcourt Brace & Company: San Antonio, TX

    Google Scholar 

  41. Yeganeh R, Beidel DC, Turner SM, Pina AA, Silverman WK (2003) Clinical distinctions between selective mutism and social phobia: an investigation of childhood psychopathology. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 42:1069–1075

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Regional Centre for Child and Adolescent, Mental Health, Eastern and Southern Norway, P.O. Box 4623, Nydalen, Oslo, 0405, Norway

    Hanne Kristensen MD, PhD

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Svenn Torgersen PhD

Authors
  1. Hanne Kristensen MD, PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Svenn Torgersen PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hanne Kristensen MD, PhD.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kristensen, H., Torgersen, S. Is social anxiety disorder in childhood associated with developmental deficit/delay?. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 17, 99–107 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-007-0642-z

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-007-0642-z

Key words

Search

Navigation