“…As hypothesized, this study found repetitive behavior to lower depressive symptoms in autistic males. Perhaps, some aspects of repetitive behaviors can be adaptive, especially for autistic individuals, in that a commonly used behavior can function as a source of comfort when under distress or feeling depressed Li et al, 2018). There are aspects of repetitive behaviors that may be more maladaptive, such as self-injurious behaviors (SIB), and SIB has often been found linked to internalizing problems .…”