The relation of social behaviours and challenging behaviours in infants and toddlers with autism spectrum disorders.

Purpose: Challenging behaviours are a commonly co-occuring problem in children with ASD and are often present during the toddler years. The relationship that these challenging behaviours have with core features of ASD, specifically social behaviours, was examined in this study. Method: This study analysed the relationship between socialization and challenging behaviours among 153 toddlers with autism spectrum disorder. Social behaviour was evaluated using the Battelle Developmental Inventory, 2nd Edition and challenging behaviours were assessed using Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtIsm Traits, Part 3. Result: Lower levels of adult interaction and peer interaction were associated with higher levels of stereotypic behaviour, aggressive/destructive behaviour and to a lesser extent self-injury. Conclusions: The nature of the relationships between socialization and challenging behaviours likely interact in several ways. A better understanding of these relationships is essential to early identification and treatment of children with ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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