Abstract

High levels of emotional/behavioural difficulties are frequently reported in children on the autism spectrum. However, given the diversity in profiles, there is a need to explore such behaviours in relation to individual factors. Parents of 130 children aged 4-5 on the autism spectrum completed measures of behaviour and adaptive behaviour. Hierarchical multiple regressions explored child and family characteristics in relation to children's emotional/behavioural presentation. Different aspects of the behavioural profile were associated with different factors, with child autism characteristics, medication use, and parent mental health making significant unique contributions to a range of behavioural subscales. Understanding individual profiles beyond total scores is therefore needed to truly understand the emotional and behavioural profile of specific subgroups.

Citation

Adams, D., Paynter, J. Clark, M., Roberts, J. & Keen, D. (2019). The Developmental Behaviour Checklist (DBC) profile in young children on the autism spectrum: The impact of child and family factors. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 49(8), 3426-3439. doi: 10.1007/s10803-019-04067-0