Background

Children with ASD may be more prone to sensory over-responsivity and RRB than their typically developing peers. However, few studies have examined potential links between internalizing and externalizing behavior patterns, RRB, and sensory over-responsivity in school-aged children with ASD when compared to typically developing peers. This study explored whether internalizing and/or externalizing behaviors are associated with RRB and sensory over-responsivity in older school-aged boys with and without ASD.

Methods

Secondary data analyses were performed using age-matched groups of boys with IQ > 75 (n = 39 with ASD and n = 39 TD). Measures included the Sensory Over-Responsivity Scales, Child Behavior Checklist, and Social Responsiveness Scale.

Results

The ASD group had significantly higher sensory over-responsivity, internalizing, externalizing and restricted and repetitive behavior than typically developing peers (ps < .001). In the ASD group, sensory over-responsivity and RRB were significantly associated with internalizing behavior (ps < .001). Restricted and repetitive behavior and sensory over-responsivity independently predicted internalizing symptoms within the ASD group (ps < .001).

Conclusions

Among older school-aged boys with ASD, high levels of sensory over-responsivity and RRB were significantly associated with internalizing symptoms. Furthermore, sensory over-responsivity and RRB contributed independently to internalizing symptom severity. We recommend that practitioners use an integrated treatment approach to acknowledge the contribution of sensory over-responsivity and RRB to internalizing behavior. Understanding their interconnectedness may help simplify the often complex intervention packages designed for children with ASD, which often treat individual symptoms separately.

中文翻译：

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有自闭症谱系障碍和没有自闭症谱系障碍的男孩的感觉过度反应，重复行为和情绪功能

背景

患有自闭症的儿童比通常发育的同龄人更容易出现感觉过度反应和RRB。然而，很少有研究检查与典型的同龄人相比，学龄儿童自闭症的内在和外在行为模式，RRB和感觉过度反应之间的潜在联系。这项研究探讨了内在和/或外在行为是否与RSD和有或没有ASD的学龄前男孩的感觉过度反应有关。

方法

使用年龄匹配的智商> 75（n  = 39，ASD和n  = 39 TD）的男孩进行年龄组匹配的二次数据分析。措施包括感官过度反应量表，儿童行为清单和社会反应量表。

结果

与典型的同龄人相比，ASD组的感官过度反应，内在化，外在化以及限制性和重复性行为明显更高（ps  <.001）。在ASD组中，感觉过度反应和RRB与内在化行为显着相关（ps  <.001）。限制性和重复性行为以及感觉过度反应独立地预测了ASD组内的内在症状（ps  <.001）。

结论

在年龄较大的ASD学龄男孩中，高水平的感觉过度反应和RRB与内在症状显着相关。此外，感觉过度反应和RRB分别独立于症状严重程度的内在化。我们建议从业者使用综合治疗方法来承认感觉过度反应和RRB对内在行为的贡献。了解他们之间的相互联系可能有助于简化为ASD儿童设计的通常很复杂的干预措施，这些干预措施通常单独治疗个体症状。