Temperament predicts challenging behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder at age 5. (March 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Korbut, Siobhan; Hedley, Darren; Chetcuti, Lacey; Sahin, Ensu; Nuske, Heather J.
• Is Part Of: Research in autism spectrum disorders. Volume 71(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-03
• Subjects: Autism -- ASD -- Challenging behavior -- Developmental delay -- Temperament; Autism spectrum disorders -- Periodicals; 616.85882005
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2019.101492
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1750-9467

Abstract

Highlights: Temperament, development and ASD symptom severity were examined as predictors of challenging behavior. Negative affectivity predicted frequency of challenging behavior at follow-up. No individual variables uniquely predicted severity of challenging behavior at follow-up. Emotion regulation-related aspects of temperament may predict later challenging behavior in ASD. Abstract: Background: Challenging behaviors during early childhood have a significant impact on cognitive and social development. The present study aimed to identify the developmental predictors of these behaviors in preschool aged children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at 2-year follow-up. We examined temperament, which has been identified as key to emotion regulation in typical development, as well as developmental level and ASD symptom severity, as potential predictors of parent-reported challenging behavior. Method: Forty-three parents of preschool aged children with ASD from a previous study were invited to participate. Data from 26 children with ASD aged 4–6 years ( M = 5, SD = .60) were available for follow-up analyses. Developmental level, ASD symptom severity, and temperamental difficulty at baseline were considered as potential predictors of frequency and severity of challenging behavior at follow-up. Results: Baseline negative affectivity was uniquely predictive of frequency of challenging behavior at follow-up. Although no individual variable was identified as a unique predictor of variance, the combined effects of temperament were predictive of the severity of challenging behavior at follow-up, contributing to 46 % of variance in scores. Conclusions: These findings highlight the potential impact of emotion-regulation related aspects of temperament on later emerging challenging behavior in young children with ASD, suggesting opportunities for early intervention. Results also identified a role for developmental level in the severity of challenging behavior, but suggest that the effect may be metered by temperament.