Detailed contribution information
| Contribution title | 3494 - Challenging behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder - manifestation and development across childhood |
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| Contribution code | PS03-16 (P) |
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| Form of presentation | Poster |
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| Abstract |
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, repetitive behavior and restricted interests. Except these core symptoms, children and adolescents with ASD often present behavioral problems such as increased physical activity, impulsivity, oppositional and disorganized behavior, aggression against others and self - referred to herein as difficult behavior. Objectives and methods: We present prospective and retrospective data of 87 children with ASD, who met the following criteria: 1 follow-up assessment during 2014/ 2015y. (T2), first diagnosed with ASD before the age of 42 months (T1). For the purpose of the study, based on Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach) and Overt Aggression Scale, our team developed a list of 30 challenging behaviors grouped as follows: aggressive behavior towards others/ objects, self harming, verbal aggression, intrusive behavior and behavior regulation. We search for correlations between difficult behavior and the level of cognitive and verbal abilities; we trace the possible age transformation of these symptoms. Results:In school age (T2) the most registered challenging behaviors were behavior regulation problems- 84%, aggressive behavior towards others/ objects- 47% and verbal aggression- 10%. Our data show that at T1 behavior regulation problems- 95%, intrusive behavior- 46% and self harm- 16% are more common. Regardless of age, low intellectual capacity undermines the ability to perform behavior regulation. We found an increase in aggressive behavior from 5% (preschool age and toddlerhood) to 24% in school age children with ASD and normal intellectual capacity and well developed speech.This could be explained by high demands in the school environment, bullying by classmates and inadequate expectations from parents and teachers. We also found strong correlations between behavior regulation abilities and aggressive behavior in school age. Conclusions: Better behavior regulation abilities can be regarded as a protective factor. Early therapeutic interventions focused on behavior modeling and regulation could prevent/ reduce the appearance of aggressive behavior at school age. We may expect several factors related to parents to be associated with a less degree of challenging behaviors such as understanding and acceptance of the disorder, good emotional coping capacity, capacity to use existent external resources. |