[Early diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD)].

Researchers found that many people with chronic pain also have undiagnosed autism or ADHD. When 20 pain patients were tested, 19 received a neurodevelopmental diagnosis. After getting their diagnosis, most patients reported feeling much better overall. The study suggests it might be helpful to check for autism or ADHD as part of pain treatment rather than sending people elsewhere for testing.

This project report describes an integration initiative at a Swedish pain rehabilitation unit where 20 patients with suspected neurodevelopmental disorders underwent diagnostic assessment. Nine patients were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders and 10 with ADHD/ADD. At follow-up, the majority reported significantly improved overall health and well-being following diagnosis. The study suggests that undiagnosed neurodevelopmental conditions in chronic pain patients may present primarily through secondary consequences and compensatory behaviors.

The authors propose that integrating neurodevelopmental assessment into pain rehabilitation could be beneficial rather than delaying treatment for separate diagnostic referrals.

Suggests value in integrating neurodevelopmental screening into chronic pain assessment rather than separate referral pathways. Early identification may improve patient outcomes and treatment planning. However, larger controlled studies needed to establish efficacy and cost-effectiveness of integrated assessment approaches.

Very small sample size (n=20), no control group, unclear follow-up period and outcome measures, project report rather than peer-reviewed study, lacks detailed methodology and statistical analysis.

Comorbidity between NDD and chronic pain is common. For some pain patients, the NDD has not yet been diagnosed. Referral for diagnosis may interrupt and delay pain rehabilitation, which suggests that integration of such assessment could be beneficial. In 2022-2023 the Regional Pain Rehabilitation unit of Nyköping ran a project in which an external psychologist performed diagnostic assessments, together with the unit's psychiatrist, of 20 patients with a suspected diagnosis of NDD.

Nine patients were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders and 10 with ADD/ADHD. At follow-up, a majority of these patients reported significantly improved overall health and well-being. For these patients, what dominated the clinical picture were the secondary consequences of their underlying developmental disorders, and the energy expended to compensate for them. How to address the needs of these patients is an important field of research.