Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) are a core feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), however, research on the functional impact of these behaviors on the quality of life for individuals with ASD and their families remains scarce. We conducted focus groups with parents of children with ASD and clinicians in order to better characterize the functional impact of behavioral inflexibility (BI), which represents one potential dimensional construct that could account for the breadth of behaviors comprising the RRB domain. Transcripts of the focus groups were analyzed using qualitative analysis coding methods to determine parent and clinician beliefs on a range of issues related to BI including overall impact, types of child behaviors, and strategies for managing BI. Thematic analysis revealed that parents and clinicians view BI as an important behavior that impacts multiple areas of functioning, relates to other RRBs as well as social communication behaviors, and warrants targeted treatment. Notably, many parents and clinicians emphasized some positive consequences of BI as well. These findings add crucial insights into the functional impact of BI and RRBs as a whole, and suggest that BI represents an important avenue for future research.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.