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
. 2021 Jan 5;68(5):633-640.
doi: 10.1080/20473869.2020.1869414. eCollection 2022.

Emotional and behavioural problems of children with autism spectrum disorder attending mainstream schools

Stephanie E Hastings  1 , Richard P Hastings  2 , Michaela A Swales  1 , J Carl Hughes  3
Affiliations

Emotional and behavioural problems of children with autism spectrum disorder attending mainstream schools

Stephanie E Hastings et al. Int J Dev Disabil. .

Abstract

Emotional and behavioural problems occur more commonly in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) compared to other children. Few studies have focused on these problems in children with ASD attending mainstream schools. We assessed via parent report the emotional and behavioural problems in 160 children aged 4-17 years with ASD attending mainstream schools and investigated differences between the primary and secondary aged children. Children with ASD had higher levels of problems across all domains of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) compared to UK norms. Within the ASD sample, SDQ scores were associated with male sex, living in a household with more children, more severe autism symptoms and fewer adaptive skills, and higher levels of family socio-economic risk. No robust primary-secondary school differences were found. Implications for future research and the support of children with ASD in mainstream school settings are discussed.

Keywords: autism spectrum disorders; children; emotional and behavioural problems; mainstream school.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association 2000. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). In Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). 10.1176/appi.books.9780890423349 - DOI
    1. Andersen, P. N., Hovik, K. T., Skogli, E. W. and Øie, M. G.. 2017. Severity of autism symptoms and degree of attentional difficulties predicts emotional and behavioral problems in children with High-Functioning Autism; A two-year follow-up study. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 2004. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ashburner, J., Ziviani, J. and Rodger, S.. 2010. Surviving in the mainstream: Capacity of children with autism spectrum disorders to perform academically and regulate their emotions and behavior at school. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 4, 18–27.
    1. Aysina, R. M., Nesterova, A. A., Suslova, T. F. and Khitryuk, V. V.. 2020. Teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education of children with ASD: A review of Russian and foreign research. The Education and Science Journal, 21, 189–210.
    1. Bond, C., Symes, W., Hebron, J., Humphrey, N., Morewood, G. and Woods, K.. 2016. Educational interventions for children with ASD: A systematic literature review 2008–2013. School Psychology International, 37, 303–320.

LinkOut - more resources