High levels of emotional/behavioural difficulties are frequently reported in children on the autism spectrum. However, given the diversity in profiles, there is a need to explore such behaviours in relation to individual factors. Parents of 130 children aged 4-5 on the autism spectrum completed measures of behaviour and adaptive behaviour.…

Background: Traditional treatment for the behavioural symptoms in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains unsatisfactory. There is an urgent need for new, biologically relevant therapies that target both the core and comorbid symptoms that children may experience. This article builds on research previously published by the authors. Method: We…

Family outcomes of early intervention (EI) for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have received limited research attention to date. This study explored potential predictors of family outcomes and EI perceived helpfulness on the Family Outcomes Survey--Revised, utilizing an adapted double ABCX framework. Participants were 97 mothers of children aged 4…

Children with autism spectrum disorders often exhibit comorbid behavioral problems. These problems have an impact on the severity of the core symptoms, the progression of the disorder as well as on the families' quality of life. We evaluated the effectiveness of the Stepping Stones Triple P group parent training program as a supplementary…

The effectiveness of several community-based early intervention programs for young children (2.5-6.5 years old) with autism spectrum disorder in Greece were compared, as they occurred in a community setting over a nine-month period. There were few differences in functioning change between programs, but applied behavior analysis (ABA) was most…

Anxiety-related problems are among the most frequently reported mental health difficulties in autism spectrum disorder. As most research has focused on clinical samples or high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorder, less is known about the factors associated with anxiety in community samples across the ability range. This…

The relationship of motor proficiency with emotional/behavioural disturbance, autistic symptoms and communication disturbance was investigated in children diagnosed with autism and Asperger's disorder (AD). The Movement Assessment Battery for Children was used as a measure of motor impairment, and the Developmental Behavioural Checklist was used…

Aim: To determine the effect of parent education on adaptive behaviour, autism symptoms and cognitive/language skills of young children with autistic disorder. Method: A randomised group comparison design involving a parent education and counselling intervention and a parent education and behaviour management intervention to control for parent…

The purpose of this study was to test the psychometric properties of the Caregiver Strain Questionnaire (CGSQ) among caregivers of children with autism. The CGSQ was originally developed to assess burden experienced by parents of children and adolescents with serious emotional and behavioral disorders. Study data was collected from 304 primary…

This study investigated the relationship between structural language skills, and communication skills, adaptive behavior, and emotional and behavior problems in pre-school children with autism. Participants were aged 3-5 years with autism (n = 27), and two comparison groups of children with developmental delay without autism (n = 12) and typically…

Raising a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) presents significant challenges for parents that potentially have a impact on their health and wellbeing. The current study examined the extent to which parents experience fatigue and its relationship to other aspects of wellbeing and parenting. Fifty mothers of children with an ASD aged 2-5…

Aims: To explore the validity of Developmental Behaviour Checklist-Autism Screening Algorithm (DBC-ASA) as a screening instrument for autism among children with intellectual disabilities. Method: Data were collected from the case notes of 109 children with intellectual disabilities attending a specialist clinic in the UK. Results: The mean score…

According to the major classification systems it is not possible to diagnose a comorbid autistic disorder in persons with Rett syndrome. However, this is a controversial issue, and given the level of functioning of persons with Rett syndrome, the autistic disorder is expected to be present in a comparable proportion as in people with the same…

The ability to identify children who require specialist assessment for the possibility of autism at as early an age as possible has become a growing area of research. A number of measures have been developed as potential screening tools for autism. The reliability and validity of one of these measures for screening for autism in young children…

In order to investigate unique and shared characteristics and to determine factors predictive of group classification, quantitative comparisons of behavioral and emotional problems were assessed using the Developmental Behavior Checklist (DBC-P) and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales in autistic disorder, Williams syndrome (WS), and…