Using Matched Groups to Explore Child Behavior Problems and Maternal Well-Being in Children with Down Syndrome and Autism

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders 2010-05, Vol.40 (5), p.610-619
• Main Authors: Griffith, Gemma M., Hastings, Richard P., Nash, Susie, Hill, Christopher
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aetiology; Autism; Autistic children; Autistic Disorder - psychology; Behavior; Behavior Patterns; Behavior Problems; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Behavioural problems; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; Child; Child and School Psychology; Child Behavior; Child Behavior Disorders - psychology; Child clinical studies; Child, Preschool; Children; Chromosome aberrations; Communication Skills; Comparative Analysis; Developmental disorders; Disabled children; Down Syndrome; Down Syndrome - psychology; Down's syndrome; Female; Humans; Infantile autism; Intellectual deficiency; Intellectual Disability - psychology; Interpersonal Competence; Language Skills; Learning disabilities; Male; Medical genetics; Medical sciences; Mental Retardation; Mother-Child Relations; Mothers; Mothers - psychology; Neurosciences; Original Paper; Parent Attitudes; Parent Child Relationship; Parenting - psychology; Pediatrics; Perceptions; Psychological aspects; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Public Health; Severity of Illness Index; Social Adjustment; Stress Variables; Stress, Psychological - etiology; Symptoms (Individual Disorders); Well Being
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-009-0906-1

Mothers of children with Down syndrome, autism, and mixed etiology intellectual disabilities, matched on child age, gender, and communication skills ( n  = 19 in each group) completed measures of their child’s adaptive and problem behaviors, their own parenting stress, and positive perceptions of their child. Children with autism were rated as having more problem behaviors and lower levels of social competence than children with Down syndrome and mixed etiology intellectual disabilities. Mothers of children with autism scored lower on positive perceptions of their child, and higher on stress than the other two groups. After selecting closely matched groups, we found several group differences in child behavior but little evidence of group differences in maternal outcomes.