Symptom severity and challenging behavior in children with ASD

Brief Report: The ADOS Calibrated Severity Score Best Measures Autism Diagnostic Symptom Severity in Pre-School Children

“…ASD is considered a spectrum disorder because of the varied nature of symptom presentation and range of behavioral, developmental, and medical conditions that co-occur with ASD (Levy et al 2010). ASD severity is often defined and influenced by the presence of co-occurring conditions, such as behavior problems, intellectual disability, language delay, motor delay, and sleep disturbance (Gotham et al 2012; Jang et al 2011; Jang and Matson 2015; MacDonald et al 2014; Schreck et al 2004; Shumway et al 2012). These co-occurring conditions are notable components of adaptive functioning and treatment selection but are not diagnostic features of ASD.…”

Age-related differences in the association between stereotypic behaviour and salivary cortisol in young males with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…That chronic stress may manifest itself in behavioural and hormonal changes, typically via (a) increases in behaviour that are perceived as 'aberrant' by observers or (b)increases in the concentration of cortisol, often assayed from saliva (Taylor & Corbett, 2014) and considered to be the primary stress hormone in humans (Dickerson & Kemeny, 2004;Sapolsky, Romero, & Munck, 2000). Some previous studies have described the prevalence of aberrant behaviour (AB) in children with an ASD at 82% (Murphy, Healy, & Leader, 2009) and 94% (Jang, Dixon, Tarbox, & Granpeesheh, 2011), including selfinjurious behaviour, aggression and stereotypy. These behaviours have been associated with unfortunate outcomes for the person exhibiting them, including reduced opportunities for social and community interactions (Lydon et al, 2015), as well as posing major challenges for the caregivers of these children, often producing parental stress, anxiety and depression (Bitsika & Sharpley, 2004).…”

Prevalence and Risk Markers of Challenging Behavior Among Children with Disabilities

“…Furthermore, children with ASD were identified as having a high probability to engage in these behaviors, probably because of major deficits in coping skills (Matson and Boisjoli 2008). According to other studies, when data regarding the exhibition of CBs in children with ASD are examined, the occurrence of CBs is found to be even more common than first expected (Jang et al 2011; Matson et al 2009). Second, LCD was also found to be a significant predictor for self-injurious and stereotypic behavior.…”

“…Studies have also tackled the prevalence of CBs among children with ID (e.g., Dekker et al 2002;Farmer and Aman 2011;Ruddick et al 2015). These studies have usually focused on a specific behavior, such as aggressive behavior (e.g., Pavlovic et al 2013) or self-injurious behavior (e.g., Symons et al 2003), or on a specific disability or disorder, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD; e.g., Hartley et al 2008;Jang et al 2011). Overall, research has found that the prevalence rates of aggressive and self-injurious behaviors range, respectively, from 10.8 and 5.3% (children with ID; Ruddick et al 2015) to 85 and 80% (participants with fragile X syndrome; Newman et al 2015).…”

“…Research has also emphasized that specific factors, such as age or gender, are associated with the occurrence of CBs among individuals with ID. Furthermore, certain diagnostic conditions, such as ASD, have been deeply studied (e.g., Jang et al 2011;Kanne and Mazurek 2011;Murphy et al 2009). However, current studies offer blurred results regarding the type of variables that may act as risk markers for children with ID as well as the extent to which a certain variable influences the occurrence of a CB.…”