Parent, Teacher and Observational Reports of Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Young Autistic Children.

This study looked at emotional and behavioral problems in 83 autistic children aged 4-8. Parents reported more problems than teachers, especially emotional issues. When parents experienced more stress, they tended to report more behavioral problems. Children who could speak were also more likely to have problems reported by parents.

However, observations showed that children with limited speech actually displayed more challenging behaviors. This suggests that getting input from multiple people (parents, teachers, observers) is important when assessing a child's needs.

This study examined emotional and behavioral problems (EBPs) in 83 autistic children aged 4-8 years using reports from parents, teachers, and direct observations. Parents consistently reported more EBPs than teachers, with particularly low agreement on emotional problems. Parent-reported EBPs were associated with higher parenting stress and children being verbal, while teacher reports showed different patterns. Observational data revealed that minimally verbal children displayed more challenging behaviors.

The findings highlight significant discrepancies between informants and suggest that parenting stress may either reflect actual home-based difficulties or potentially bias parental reporting. The research emphasizes the critical importance of multi-informant assessments when evaluating EBPs in autistic children.

Clinicians should use multiple informants when assessing emotional and behavioral problems in autistic children. Parent stress levels should be considered when interpreting reports. Different assessment approaches may be needed for verbal versus minimally verbal children. Understanding informant discrepancies can improve diagnostic accuracy and intervention planning.

Sample size was relatively small (83 children). The study design appears cross-sectional, limiting causal inferences. The relationship between parenting stress and EBP reporting could be bidirectional. Teacher characteristics and training were not reported, which may influence their reporting patterns.

Emotional and behavioral problems (EBPs) frequently occur in young autistic children. Discrepancies between parents and other informants are common but can lead to uncertainty in formulation, diagnosis and care planning. This study aimed to explore child and informant characteristics are associated with reported child EBPs across settings. Participants were 83 4-8-year-old autistic children and their parents and teachers in the Autism Spectrum Treatment and Resilience (ASTAR) study.

Questionnaires of child EBPs were completed by parents and teachers, and self-reported parenting stress and wellbeing measures were obtained. An observation of parent-child/researcher-child interaction was also completed. Parents reported more EBPs than teachers and parent-teacher agreement was low, particularly for emotional problems. Greater parenting stress and being verbal was associated with more parent- but not teacher-reported EBPs.

More observed behaviors that challenge were displayed by minimally verbal children. More parenting stress could be associated with the presence of more EBPs in the home; alternatively, parenting stress may confound reports. It is essential for assessments of EBPs in autistic children to take a multi-informant approach. Better understanding of the associations between informant characteristics and informant discrepancies of EBPs is needed.