Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) frequently overestimate their own abilities in different contexts, reporting higher self-perceptions than the others’ external perceptions (Lau-Zhu et al., 2019). This tendency to overestimate one’s capabilities, compared to external evaluations, is called positive illusory bias (PIB, Owens et al., 2007). However, it is not clear whether the two clinical populations overestimate their own abilities in the same way and if this overestimation impacts multiple areas of functioning (Martin et al., 2019). The present study investigated the accuracy of self-perception of abilities of children with ADHD and ASD compared to non-diagnosed (ND) peers in different areas of functioning. Specifically, differences in the estimation of (a) social abilities and (b) behavioral problems in the three groups were analyzed. Two hundred and twenty Italian children (85% M) between 8 and 16 years (M=11.48, SD=2.28) were included in the study. 50 children with ADHD (84% M), 49 with ASD (79% M) without intellectual disability and 121 ND (86% M) participants were enrolled and matched for sex, age, and intelligence quotient (IQ). Two parallel forms of a specific questionnaire measuring social abilities and behavioral problems were filled out by the children and their parents to compare their perceptions. Two different estimation indices were computed based on the discrepancy between the child’s perception and the adult’s report on children’s social abilities and behavioral problems. Separate linear regressions were run for both estimation indices to investigate the association between the two estimation indices and different independent variables: control variables (i.e., age and IQ) and group (ADHD, ASD and ND). Our results showed a different pattern in the two estimation indices. The self-perception of social abilities, independently from the group, decreased with higher age and was significantly impaired only in the ADHD population, compared to both the ASD and ND groups. Conversely, both children with ADHD and ASD estimate their own behavioral problems in a similar way to that of their parents. Our findings confirm that the overestimation of one’s own abilities, compared to external estimations, regards mainly subjects with ADHD (Capodieci et al., 2019). Moreover, this overestimation of abilities is not always present (Owens & Hoza, 2003). Our results revealed the importance of paying attention to the interpretation of self-reports during the assessment of abilities in children and adolescents with ADHD and helped in differentiating specific difficulties of self-perception abilities between ADHD and ASD.

Capodieci, A., Crisci, G., & Mammarella, I. C. (2019). Does Positive Illusory Bias Affect Self-Concept and Loneliness in Children With Symptoms of ADHD? Journal of Attention Disorders, 23(11), 1274–1283. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054718763735 Lau-Zhu, A., Fritz, A., & McLoughlin, G. (2019). Overlaps and distinctions between attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder in young adulthood: Systematic review and guiding framework for EEG-imaging research. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 96, 93–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.10.009 Martin C. P., Peisch V., Shoulberg E. K., Kaiser N., Hoza B. (2019). Does a social self-perceptual bias mask internalizing symptoms in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 60(6), 630–637. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13024 Owens, J. S., Goldfine, M. E., Evangelista, N. M., Hoza, B., & Kaiser, N. M. (2007). A Critical Review of Self-perceptions and the Positive Illusory Bias in Children with ADHD. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 10(4), 335–351. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-007-0027-3 Owens, J. S., & Hoza, B. (2003). The role of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity in the positive illusory bias. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71(4), 680–691. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.71.4.680