Aggressive Behaviors and Verbal Communication Skills in Autism Spectrum Disorders

• Published in: Global pediatric health Vol. 3; p. 2333794X16644360
• Main Authors: De Giacomo, Andrea, Craig, Francesco, Terenzio, Vanessa, Coppola, Annamaria, Campa, Maria Gloria, Passeri, Gianfranco
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 2016; Sage Publications Ltd; SAGE Publishing
• Subjects: Aggressiveness; Autism; Original; Verbal communication; aggressive behaviors; ASD; neurocognitive endophenotype; autism spectrum disorder; verbal communication skills
• ISSN: 2333-794X; 2333-794X
• DOI: 10.1177/2333794X16644360

Aggressive behavior is a common problem among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and could negatively affect family functioning and school and social competence. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between aggressive behavior, such as self-aggression and other-aggression, with verbal communication ability and IQ level in children with ASD. The sample examined in this study included 88 children with a diagnosis of ASD. For the purposes of our study, much attention was focused on individual items of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule and the Autism Diagnostic Interview–Revised that were useful to evaluate the aggressive behavior. We have not found any association between aggressive behavior (other-aggression and self-aggression) and the absence of language or low IQ in children with ASD. Thus, the degree of severity of autism is probably the most important risk factor for this behavior.