Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Dec;3(4):316-24.
doi: 10.1007/s11689-011-9094-3. Epub 2011 Sep 1.

Repetitive behavior profiles: Consistency across autism spectrum disorder cohorts and divergence from Prader-Willi syndrome

Cindi G Flores  1 , Gregory Valcante, Steve Guter, Annette Zaytoun, Emily Wray, Lindsay Bell, Suma Jacob, Mark H Lewis, Daniel J Driscoll, Edwin H Cook Jr, Soo-Jeong Kim
Affiliations

Repetitive behavior profiles: Consistency across autism spectrum disorder cohorts and divergence from Prader-Willi syndrome

Cindi G Flores et al. J Neurodev Disord. 2011 Dec.

Abstract

Restricted and repetitive behavior (RRB) is a group of heterogeneous maladaptive behaviors. RRB is one of the key diagnostic features of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and also commonly observed in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). In this study, we assessed RRB using the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised (RBS-R) in two ASD samples (University of Illinois at Chicago [UIC] and University of Florida [UF]) and one PWS sample. We compared the RBS-R item endorsements across three ASD cohorts (UIC, UF and an ASD sample from Lam, The Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised: independent validation and the effect of subject variables, PhD thesis, 2004), and a PWS sample. We also compared the mean RBS-R subscale/sum scores across the UIC, UF and PWS samples; across the combined ASD (UIC + UF), PWS-deletion and PWS-disomy groups; and across the combined ASD sample, PWS subgroup with a Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) score ≥15, and PWS subgroup with a SCQ score <15. Despite the highly heterogeneous nature, the three ASD samples (UIC, UF and Lam's) showed a similar pattern of the RBS-R endorsements, and the mean RBS-R scores were not different between the UIC and UF samples. However, higher RRB was noted in the ASD sample compared with the PWS sample, as well as in the PWS subgroup with a SCQ score ≥15 compared with the PWS subgroup with a SCQ score <15. Study limitations include a small sample size, a wide age range of our participants, and not controlling for potential covariates. A future replication study using a larger sample and further investigation into the genetic bases of overlapping ASD and RRB phenomenology are needed, given the higher RRB in the PWS subgroup with a SCQ score ≥15.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The RBS-R individual item endorsement rates across three ASD cohorts and one PWS sample
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The RBS-R individual item endorsement rates across a combined ASD sample, a PWS-deletion subgroup and a PWS-disomy subgroup
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, text revision (DSM-IV-TR) 4. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2000.
    1. Bishop DV, Norbury CF. Exploring the borderlands of autistic disorder and specific language impairment: a study using standardised diagnostic instruments. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2002;43(7):917–929. doi: 10.1111/1469-7610.00114. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bodfish JW, et al. Compulsions in adults with mental retardation: prevalence, phenomenology, and comorbidity with stereotypy and self-injury. Am J Ment Retard. 1995;100(2):183–192. - PubMed
    1. Bodfish JW, et al. Varieties of repetitive behavior in autism: comparisons to mental retardation. J Autism Dev Disord. 2000;30(3):237–243. doi: 10.1023/A:1005596502855. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bolton PF, et al. Chromosome 15q11–13 abnormalities and other medical conditions in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Psychiatr Genet. 2004;14(3):131–137. doi: 10.1097/00041444-200409000-00002. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources