Aggression in children with autism spectrum disorders and a clinic-referred comparison group

• Published in: Autism : the international journal of research and practice Vol. 19; no. 3; pp. 281 - 291
• Main Authors: Farmer, Cristan, Butter, Eric, Mazurek, Micah O, Cowan, Charles, Lainhart, Janet, Cook, Edwin H, DeWitt, Mary Beth, Aman, Michael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.04.2015
• Subjects: Adjustment (to Environment); Adolescent; Adolescents; Adult; Age Differences; Age Factors; Aggression; Aggression - psychology; Asperger Syndrome; Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorder - psychology; Bayley Scales of Infant Development; Behavior Problems; Bullying; Check Lists; Checklist - statistics & numerical data; Child; Child Behavior Checklist; Child, Preschool; Children; Communication Skills; Comparative Analysis; Female; Gender Differences; Humans; Illinois; Infant; Intelligence Quotient; Male; Missouri; Mullen Scales of Early Learning; Ohio; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Referral and Consultation; Responses; Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale; Statistical Analysis; Utah; Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales; Washington; Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children; Young Adult; Ohio; Illinois; Utah; Washington; Missouri; proactive aggression; Child Behavior Checklist; autism spectrum disorders; reactive aggression; aggression; Children’s Scale for Hostility and Aggression: Reactive/Proactive
• ISSN: 1362-3613; 1461-7005
• DOI: 10.1177/1362361313518995

A gap exists in the literature regarding aggression in autism spectrum disorders and how this behavior compares to other groups. In this multisite study, the Children’s Scale for Hostility and Aggression: Reactive/Proactive and the Aggression subscale of the Child Behavior Checklist were rated for 414 children with autism spectrum disorder (autistic disorder, 69%; pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified, 24%; Asperger’s disorder, 7%) and 243 clinic-referred children without autism spectrum disorder, aged 1–21 years (mean age about 7 years). Participants were not selected for aggressive behavior. Relative to the comparison group, children with autism spectrum disorder were reported to have less aggression and were more likely to be rated as reactive rather than proactive. Among all subjects, sex was not associated with aggression; higher IQ/adaptive behavior and older age were associated with more sophisticated types of aggression, while lower scores on IQ, adaptive behavior, and communication measures were associated with more physical aggression. The interaction between demographic variables and diagnosis was significant only for age: younger but not older children with autism spectrum disorder showed less aggression than clinic-referred controls.