Children's Social Behavior Questionnaire (CCBQ) scores from 240 children with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDDNOS), 95 with high-functioning autism, 181 with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, 400 with psychiatric problems, and 234 controls, indicated significant group differences on all scales and good test…

A review of 41 studies on behavioral interventions for children with autism (ages 0-8) found aggression, tantrums, self-injury, and stereotypy were behaviors most targeted. Results also indicate interventions should be developed based on a thorough analysis of biological, antecedent, and consequence events that control them. Behavioral support…

Information on family context was used to individualized behavioral support plans designed to support family use of functional communication training (FCT) for three children (ages 3-5) with autism. Results indicate problem behavior decreased and functional communication increased when FCT was introduced into family routines selected for training.…

Six adults with both autism and moderate/profound mental retardation were assessed in a controlled environment for changes in frequency of maladaptive and stereotypic behaviors following nonexercise activities, general motor training activities, and aerobic exercise. Although antecedent aerobic exercise reduced undesirable behaviors, general motor…

Four students (ages 4-6) with developmental disabilities who exhibited challenging behaviors in teaching situations were exposed to high intensity and low intensity social interaction in a play situation and a task situation. Interaction intensity made no difference in students' behavior. Two students exhibited task avoidance and two exhibited…

Background: The executive functions of inhibition, planning, flexible shifting of actions, and working memory are commonly reported to be impaired in neurodevelopmental disorders. Method: We compared these abilities in children (8?12 years) with high functioning autism (HFA, n = 17), attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, n = 21) and…

This article reviews the psychopharmacological treatment of aggression, mood disturbances, and self-injurious behavior in persons with autistic disorder. It highlights the use of dopaminergic drugs, serotonergic drugs, opioidergic drugs, adrenergic drugs, thymoleptic drugs, and glutamatergic drugs for their potential utility in treating…

Teacher ratings on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist were collected on 666 students with mental retardation attending special classes. Classroom placement and age had significant effects on subscale scores, whereas sex failed to affect ratings. The study concludes that the original scoring method, developed for individuals in residential facilities,…

This study of 39 families with a mentally handicapped adult member found no significant differences in physical care, domestic chores, and supervision for the 20 Down's syndrome and 19 autistic subjects. The brunt of caring fell upon mothers, with fathers helping mainly with supervision. Methods of coping with behavior problems differed between…

A study of 211 children and adults with autism (n=81), other pervasive development disorders (PDD) (n=24), and conditions other than PDD (n=106) found the prevalence of medical conditions with suspected etiologic relationships with autism varies between 10 and 15%, depending on the diagnostic system employed. (Author/CR)

Eighty children, ages 3 to 17, with autism or Asperger's syndrome and mild to severe distress in the presence of some sounds received either auditory training or a control condition of listening to the same music. Significant improvements in behavior, severity of autism, and IQ were achieved and maintained for 12 months by both groups. (Author/DB)

This paper reports the findings of a 20-week social adjustment enhancement curriculum for boys aged 8-12. The curriculum was designed to address three areas hypothesized to be deficient in persons with HFA, AS, and PDDNOS: emotion recognition and understanding; theory of mind; and executive functions/real life type problem solving. Parents…

Social escape behavior is a common behavioral feature of individuals with fragile X syndrome (fraX). In this observational study, we examined the effect of antecedent social and performance demands on problem behaviors in four conditions: face-to-face interview, silent reading, oral reading and a singing task. Results showed that problem behaviors…

This article analyzes outcome measures used in intervention research with young children with autism, including 72 reports evaluating specific intervention practices and 15 reports of complete intervention programs. Results indicate measurement of mediating variables is essentially absent in the evaluation reports and there is a lack of other…

This investigation surveyed 100 parents of people with autism (mean age 19.5 years) concerning toilet training and toileting problems. Results focus on ages at toilet training, toilet training methods, toileting skills, behavior problems related to toileting, and fears related to toileting. (DB)