The interactions between sleep problems, autism symptoms and emotional and behavioural difficulties were explored using network analysis in 240 autistic children (mean age: 8.8 years, range 5-13 ...years) with moderate to severe sleep problems. Findings revealed a highly connected and interpretable network, with three separate clusters identified of the modelled variables. Depression, anxiety and behavioural difficulties were the most central variables of the network. Depression, anxiety and restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns behaviours (RRBs) were the strongest bridging variables in the network model, transmitting activation both within and between other symptom clusters. The results highlight that depression and anxiety were highly connected symptoms within the network, suggesting support in these areas could be helpful, as well as future research.
Abstract
Autistic children show higher rates of co-occurring emotional and behavioural difficulties compared to other children in the general population. However, the environmental factors which ...contribute to the development of emotional (internalising) and behavioural (externalising) difficulties in autistic individuals are poorly understood. This study sought to investigate the association between harsh parenting (smacking, shouting, telling off) and the trajectories of emotional and behavioural difficulties in autistic children from ages 3 to 7. A sample comprising of 349 autistic children participated from the UK’s Millennium Cohort Study. Associations between harsh parenting and child emotional and behavioural difficulties were modelled using multilevel growth curve models. In autistic children, harsh parenting was associated with total emotional and behavioural difficulties and behavioural (but not emotional) problems concurrently. Moreover, harsh parenting was not associated with changes in emotional and behavioural difficulties over time. Harsh parenting may have an important role in externalising problems in young autistic children indicating the need for public health strategies which educate parents on its effects.
We examined associations between objectively-measured physical activity, depressive-symptoms, and emotional and behavioural difficulties in adolescents from a UK cohort.
Data from 4755 participants ...(45% male) from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) with physical activity assessed by accelerometry at age 11 was analysed. Indication of depressive symptoms (Short Moods and Feelings questionnaire) were obtained from parental reports at age 11 and self-reports at age 13. Behavioural and emotional problems were assessed by parents and teachers at age 11 and 13 using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).
At age 11, males averaged 29 minutes (SD = 17) of daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) compared with 18 minutes (SD = 12) among females. Higher MVPA at age 11 was associated with decreased depressive-symptoms in females at age 11 after adjusting for confounders. Among males, a positive change in MVPA between the ages of 11 and 13 was associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms. Negative associations were also found between MVPA at age 11 and the emotional symptoms scale of the SDQ at age 11 and age 13 in females. Higher MVPA predicted a decreased score on the hyperactivity subscale of the SDQ at 11 and 13 for both sexes. All effect sizes were small.
Higher MVPA was associated with reduced depressive symptoms, behavioural and emotional-difficulties in early adolescence, however the magnitude of effects was small. Efforts to support MVPA in this age group are therefore warranted.
Autism and Managing Anxiety Middletown Centre for Autism, Middletown Centre
2021, 20201102, 2020, 2020-11-03, 2020-11-02
eBook
This easy-to-use resource is a compilation of theoretical background and concrete approaches designed to increase understanding and outline strategies to support autistic children and young people ...who experience anxiety in the school environment. This resource also has practical application for parents, carers and professionals across a range of educational and community-based settings.
Using real life examples and case studies, the book explains and explores the different forms of anxiety and their impact across the school environment. Each chapter offers practical information and strategies that may help reduce the negative symptoms of anxiety and help support emotional resilience across home and school environments.
Key features of this book include:
Chapters aimed at enhancing the understanding of anxiety in autism, considering potential triggers of anxiety, discussion on cognitive theories, social communication and means of assessing anxiety.
A wealth of downloadable anxiety management strategies and resources that can be adapted and used by a teacher, parent or other professional.
This resource has been developed by the multidisciplinary team at Middletown Centre for Autism, and is a useful resource for the busy parent, teacher and other professionals who wish to provide individualised support strategies for anxiety across a range of settings.
The all-Ireland Middletown Centre for Autism was established by the Department of Education, Northern Ireland and the Department of Education and Skills, Ireland to promote excellence in the delivery of specialist education services to children and young people with autism.
The Centre delivers its services across three areas of:
Learning Support and Assessment
The Centre staff work directly with individual autistic pupils and their school staff and families on a referral basis. The Centre staff accept referrals for whole schools to increase their capacity for the development of an autism competent environment.
Research and Information
The Centre’s research department conducts follow-up with all referred pupils and schools and develops practice-based resources based on this work. The department also conducts research projects and provides supportive resources aimed at enhancing educational practice across the island.
Training
The Centre delivers an extensive programme of training to parents and educational professionals across the island. The Centre’s work also includes a graduate certificate in autism education and a graduate diploma in autism studies and a range of online training sessions.
Further details on the Centre’s work can be found at www.middletownautism.com
Abstract
The context of this paper is family situations where young people are experiencing significant behavioural and emotional problems. Based on a qualitative study, it offers an empirical and ...theoretical contribution to the understanding of family‐related factors that promote or hinder behaviour change. Data were collected through face‐to‐face, semi‐structured group interviews with nine families (28 participants), all of them mandatory recipients of child welfare services in Croatia. Thematic analysis comprised primary coding designed to elicit information about individual family members' capacity for change and secondary coding of family‐level phenomena. The results indicated 10 phenomena that were judged to represent factors that helped or hindered change. The discussion section suggests three broad categories of capacity to change at family level (Goals and Priorities; Problem solving dynamics; and Development of role relationship). This analysis is offered as the basis for an examination of the concept of family capacity for change.
We assessed the clinical utility of the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) as a screen for emotional and behavioural difficulties in 626 children and young people with ...intellectual disability. Using the Developmental Behavior Checklist (DBC2-P) to determine clinical caseness, the area under the curve for the SDQ total difficulties score was 0.876 (95% CI 0.841–0.911), indicating that it is a good measure for identifying significant emotional and behavioural difficulties requiring further investigation. Analyses supported the use of the same SDQ cut-off for those with and without intellectual disability, which may assist with consistent and comparable assessment in clinical practice.
Purpose
Social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) in childhood are associated with negative consequences across the life course. Children with developmental language disorder have been ...identified as being at risk of developing SEBD but it is unclear whether a similar risk exists for children with speech sound disorder, a condition which impacts on children's ability to make themselves understood and has been shown to be associated with poor educational outcomes.
Methods
Participants were children who attended the 8‐year‐old clinic in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (N = 7390). Children with speech sound disorder that had persisted beyond the period of typical speech acquisition (persistent speech disorder PSD) at age 8 were identified from recordings and transcriptions of speech samples (N = 263). Parent‐, teacher‐ and child‐reported questionnaires and interviews including the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Short Moods and Feelings Questionnaire and measures for antisocial and risk‐taking behaviour were used to provide outcome scores for SEBD at 10–14 years in a series of regression analyses.
Results
Following adjustment for biological sex, socio‐economic status and Intelligence Quotient, children with PSD at age 8 were more likely to show peer problems at age 10–11 years compared with their peers, as reported by teachers and parents. Teachers were more likely to report problems with emotionality. Children with PSD were no more likely to report symptoms of depression than their peers. No associations were observed between PSD, risk of antisocial behaviour, trying alcohol at age 10 or smoking cigarettes at age 14.
Conclusions
Children with PSD may be at risk in terms of their peer relationships. This could impact on their wellbeing and, while not observed at this age, may lead to depressive symptoms in older childhood and adolescence. There is also the potential that these symptoms may impact on educational outcomes.
We examined predictors of mental health difficulties and wellbeing in caregivers of children with autism in the Pre-school Autism Communication Trial cohort in middle childhood (N = 104). Child’s ...intellectual disability, daily living skills impairment, elevated emotional and behavioural difficulties, high educational level of caregiver and household income below the median significantly predicted caregivers’ mental health difficulties, but autism severity, child communication skills and family circumstances did not. Lower caregiver mental wellbeing was predicted by elevated child emotional and behavioural difficulties. The need to support the mental health and wellbeing of caregivers of children with autism is discussed in light of the results.
Lithuania was one of the countries that applied quarantine during the rise of COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020, the duration of which was three months (from March 16th, 2020 to June 16th, 2020). ...Despite emerging literature showing negative effects of quarantine on children’s mental health, insight into specific risk factors is lacking due to limited longitudinal data. The aim of the present study was to analyse changes in Lithuanian pre-schoolers’ emotional and behavioural problems during the first quarantine due to COVID-19 pandemic and their relations to the potential risk factors such as parental distress and increase in daily screen time. Parents of 78 children aged 4 to 6 (31% girls and 69% boys, mean age at the first measurement 66.1 months (SD = 10.33)) completed Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL/1½-5), questions on children’s screen time and physical activity and reported their distress before the quarantine (November 2019–February 2020) and at the end of it (May–June 2020). Results showed that children had more behavioral problems, spent more time on screens and were less physically active during the quarantine, and their parents were experiencing more distress than before. However, parental distress emerged as the only variable that predicted preschoolers’ emotional and behavioral problems during the quarantine after a child’s previous problems were taken into account. This highlights the importance of targeting support towards families raising children with behavioral problems, as the challenges they were already facing increase during quarantine and their parents may be more susceptible to less desirable practices such as providing children with more screen time as a way to cope with this situation.
Purpose Higher levels of participation in school are linked to greater academic performance, better health and well-being and positive long-term outcomes for young people. Evidence shows that for ...students with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD), participation in school-based occupations is often restricted in comparison to their peers. Given the recent advancements towards introducing a new model of school-based occupational therapy in Ireland, this paper aims to discuss how occupational therapy can support students with EBD to increase their participation within the post-primary school context. The opinions in this paper are derived from the authors’ experience in the development of this practice in the Republic of Ireland. Design/methodology/approach The authors reviewed current literature and reflected on current practice to describe the unique role of occupational therapy in supporting students with EBD in the school environment. Findings Occupational therapists have potential to play a key role in school-based support for students with EBD. The authors describe how occupational therapists can promote whole school understanding of EBD and enable skill development, self-regulation, participation and school belonging, among youths with EBD. There is a significant lack of literature guiding practice in this area. Further research is required to explore professional issues and identify best practice. Originality/value This paper aims to provoke consideration of how school-based occupational therapists can play a crucial role in supporting students with EBD who are otherwise at risk of occupational injustice.
PDF
