Behavioral problems in children with autism spectrum disorder with and without co-occurring intellectual disability

We assessed the mental health of parents (N = 1450, Mage = 40.76) of special needs children during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted an online survey comprising items on demographic data; two self-designed questionnaires (children’s behavioral problems/psychological demand of parents during COVID-19); and four standardized questionnaires, including the General Health Questionnaire, Perceived Social Support, Parenting Stress Index, and Neuroticism Extraversion Openness Five Factor Inventory. The results showed that there were significant differences among parents of children with different challenges. Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder were more likely to have mental health problems compared to parents whose children had an intellectual disability or a visual or hearing impairment. Behavioral problems of children and psychological demands of parents were common factors predicting the mental health of all parents. Parent–child dysfunctional interactions and parenting distress were associated with parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. Family support, having a difficult child, and parenting distress were associated with having children with an intellectual disability. It is necessary to pay attention to the parents’ mental health, provide more social and family support, and reduce parenting pressures.

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The Impact of COVID-19 on the Adaptive Functioning, Behavioral Problems, and Repetitive Behaviors of Italian Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Observational Study

Children ◽

10.3390/children8020096 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 96

Author(s):

Martina Siracusano ◽

Eugenia Segatori ◽

Assia Riccioni ◽

Leonardo Emberti Gialloreti ◽

Paolo Curatolo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Adaptive Functioning ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Repetitive Behaviors ◽

Assessment System ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Adaptive Skills ◽

The Impact

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families have represented a fragile population on which the extreme circumstances of the COVID-19 outbreak may have doubly impaired. Interruption of therapeutical interventions delivered in-person and routine disruption constituted some of the main challenges they had to face. This study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on adaptive functioning, behavioral problems, and repetitive behaviors of children with ASD. In a sample of 85 Italian ASD children (mean age 7 years old; 68 males, 17 females), through a comparison with a baseline evaluation performed during the months preceding COVID-19, we evaluated whether after the compulsory home confinement any improvement or worsening was reported by parents of ASD individuals using standardized instruments (Adaptive Behavior Assessment System (Second Edition), Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist, Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised). No significant worsening in the adaptive functioning, problematic, and repetitive behaviors emerged after the compulsory home confinement. Within the schooler children, clinical stability was found in reference to both adaptive skills and behavioral aspects, whereas within preschoolers, a significant improvement in adaptive skills emerged and was related to the subsistence of web-delivered intervention, parental work continuance, and online support during the lockdown.

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Using the Teaching Interactions Procedure to Teach Social Skills to Children With Autism and Intellectual Disability

American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities ◽

10.1352/1944-7558-121.6.501 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 121 (6) ◽

pp. 501-519 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Aubrey Hui Shyuan Ng ◽

Kim Schulze ◽

Eric Rudrud ◽

Justin B. Leaf

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Intellectual Disability ◽

Social Skills ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Multiple Baseline ◽

Baseline Design ◽

Teaching Interaction ◽

Teaching Interaction Procedure

Abstract This study implemented a modified teaching interaction procedure to teach social skills to 4 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder with an intellectual disability. A multiple baseline design across social skills and replicated across participants was utilized to evaluate the effects of the modified teaching interaction procedure. The results demonstrated that the teaching interaction procedure resulted in all participants acquiring targeted social skills, maintaining the targeted social skills, and generalizing the targeted social skills.

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Lagging skills contribute to challenging behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability

Autism ◽

10.1177/1362361317712651 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 22 (8) ◽

pp. 898-906 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Brenna B Maddox ◽

Patrick Cleary ◽

Emily S Kuschner ◽

Judith S Miller ◽

Anna Chelsea Armour ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Emotion Regulation ◽

Executive Function ◽

Intellectual Disability ◽

Social Skills ◽

Challenging Behaviors ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Environmental Demands

Many children with autism spectrum disorder display challenging behaviors. These behaviors are not limited to those with cognitive and/or language impairments. The Collaborative and Proactive Solutions framework proposes that challenging behaviors result from an incompatibility between environmental demands and a child’s “lagging skills.” The primary Collaborative and Proactive Solutions lagging skills—executive function, emotion regulation, language, and social skills—are often areas of weakness for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether these lagging skills are associated with challenging behaviors in youth with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability. Parents of 182 youth with autism spectrum disorder (6–15 years) completed measures of their children’s challenging behaviors, executive function, language, emotion regulation, and social skills. We tested whether the Collaborative and Proactive Solutions lagging skills predicted challenging behaviors using multiple linear regression. The Collaborative and Proactive Solutions lagging skills explained significant variance in participants’ challenging behaviors. The Depression (emotion regulation), Inhibit (executive function), and Sameness (executive function) scales emerged as significant predictors. Impairments in emotion regulation and executive function may contribute substantially to aggressive and oppositional behaviors in school-age youth with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability. Treatment for challenging behaviors in this group may consider targeting the incompatibility between environmental demands and a child’s lagging skills.

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