Adaptive Behaviour Profiles in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Page: 06-13
Pooja Jha Nair and Gayatri V.N. Gorthi (Total Solution for Learning, Hyderabad, Telangana)

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by significant difficulties in social interaction, communication along with restrictive and repetitive behaviour patterns. These deficits were found to negatively impact child’s development and adaptive functioning skills. Hence, early diagnosis and assessing the child’s strengths and needs at an early age will yield promising outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore the profile of adaptive behaviour skills of young children with ASD in comparison to children with non-ASD having developmental delay on Vineland social maturity scale (VSMS) and also to understand the correlation between autism symptom severity with adaptive functioning. The sample consisted of 60 study participants, divided into two groups according to Childhood autism rating scale (CARS) as mild to moderate autism and non-ASD. The two groups of children were evaluated using developmental screening test (DST) and vineland social maturity scale (VSMS) to measure developmental quotient (DQ) and adaptive skills. Pearson product moment correlation was computed to identify the correlation between adaptive skills and autism symptom severity and adaptive behaviour skills of children with ASD and non-ASD with developmental delays were compared using independent sample t- test. Children with mild-moderate ASD reported uneven social capacities. The social capacities obtained by the children with mild-moderate ASD were significantly lower than those of children with non-ASD having developmental delays. The correlation analysis indicated moderate negative relationship between severity of autistic symptoms and adaptive behaviour. Adaptive behaviour assessment is an essential aspect in the diagnosis of ASD. Present study found that adaptive behaviour of children with ASD was negatively correlated with severity of autism, children with ASD obtained highest scores on motor skills and lowest on socialization domain. Limitations and future research recommendations were discussed.