Psychology Psychology, Developmental Social Sciences
This study examined the extent to which clinical and demographic characteristics predicted outcome for children with autism spectrum disorder. Participants included 152 students with autism spectrum disorder in 53 kindergarten-through-second-grade autism support classrooms in a large urban public school district. Associations between child characteristics (including age, language ability, autism severity, social skills, adaptive behavior, co-occurring psychological symptoms, and restrictive and repetitive behavior) and outcome, as measured by changes in cognitive ability following one academic year of an intervention standardized across the sample were evaluated using linear regression with random effects for classroom. While several scales and subscales had statistically significant bivariate associations with outcome, in adjusted analysis, only age and the presence of symptoms associated with social anxiety, such as social avoidance and social fearfulness, as measured through the Child Symptom Inventory-4, were associated with differences in outcome. The findings regarding the role of social anxiety are new and have important implications for treatment. Disentangling the construct of social anxiety to differentiate between social fearfulness and social motivation has important implications for shifting the focus of early treatment for children with autism spectrum disorder.
Child characteristics associated with outcome for children with autism in a school-based behavioral intervention
Creators
Melanie Pellecchia - UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, USA.
James E. Connell - Drexel University
Connor M. Kerns - Drexel University
Ming Xie - UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, USA.
Steven C. Marcus - UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, USA.
David S. Mandell - UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, USA.
Publication Details
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, v 20(3), pp 321-329
Publisher
Sage
Number of pages
9
Grant note
R01MH083717 / NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
1R01MH083717 / National Institute of Health; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA
R324A080195 / Institute of Education Sciences; US Department of Education
U54HD086984 / EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Resource Type
Journal article
Language
English
Academic Unit
Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum
Web of Science ID
WOS:000372880700006
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84962547071
Other Identifier
991019168659004721
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