Relations among restricted and repetitive behaviors, anxiety and sensory features in children with autism spectrum disorders
Section snippets
General introduction
Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) are part of the core criteria for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). They form a heterogeneous class of behaviors that are characterised by invariant repetition and desire for sameness in the environment (Kanner, 1943). Factor analytic studies using the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) consistently indicate a division into two subclasses: (a) repetitive motor and sensory (RSM) behaviors such as repetitive hand or finger movements and (b)
Study 1
Study 1 examined the factor structure of the RBQ-2 questionnaire, using this measure for the first time with a sample of children with ASD. To date, published data on the factor analytic structure and psychometric properties of the RBQ-2 has been confined to a typically developing sample at 15 and 24 months of age (Arnott et al., 2010, Leekam et al., 2007), with results showing that the items group into two factors (RSM and IS). Study 1 aimed to replicate this finding with an ASD sample,
Study 2
Study 2 examined the association between the two subtypes of RRB and anxiety and the contribution made by sensory features to this association using the Sensory Profile (Dunn, 1999).
General discussion
Recent explanations of RRBs have described their function as a marker for anxiety, forming a buffer to alleviate distress. It has also been proposed that different subclasses of RRBs may function in different ways to either increase sensory stimulation or to reduce both anxiety and sensory stimulation. This research investigated the potential relationships between different types of RRBs, anxiety and sensory features in order to identify the contribution made by sensory features to the
Conflict of interest statement
None of the authors have any conflicts of interest.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by PhD funding from the Wales Office of Research and Development for Health and Social Care, National Institute for Social Care and Health Research, and project grant funding from the Baily Thomas Charitable Fund (awarded to author SL). We thank Julie Mullis, Hilary Kanaris, Anne Marie McKigney, and Ruth Paradice for clinical advice and all the parents and children who participated in the study.
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- 1
Joint first authors.
- 2
Now at Psychology Department, Durham University, UK.
- 3
Now at Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation, Colorado, USA.