Daily living skills in children with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability: A comparative study from Turkey

Abstract

Background: Better daily living skills (DLS) are associated with increased independence and positive functional outcomes in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Method: The present study aimed to investigate daily living skills (DLS) and the associated factors in 51 children with ASD and intellectual disability (ASD group) and 51 age- and gender-matched controls with intellectual disability (ID group). The severity of the autistic symptoms was measured with the clinician-rated Childhood Autism Rating Scale and the parent-reported Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) in all children. The mothers also completed the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory and the Basic DLS Questionnaire.

Results: The ASD group scored lower than the comparison group in the total DLS score, personal hygiene, dressing, safety and interpersonal skills, despite being comparable in the parent-reported quality of life. Regression analysis of the whole sample demonstrated that the child's age, intellectual level, speech level, autism symptom severity and the monthly household income were independent correlates of the total DLS. Exploratory analyses for each group revealed differential effects of these variables: in the ASD group; a higher speech level and monthly income, while in the ID group; an older age, a higher intellectual level and monthly income and a lower ABC score emerged as significant predictors of higher DLS.

Conclusions: Deficient DLS in Turkish children with ASD, given their IQ, suggest that lower level of adaptive skills is inherent in ASD, rather than culture-specific to US and Western Europe.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Children; Daily living skills; Intellectual disability; Quality of life.