Teacher- and parent-reported trajectories of maladaptive behaviors among individuals with autism and non-spectrum delays.

This study followed 165 children with autism or developmental delays from age 9 to 18, asking both teachers and parents about challenging behaviors. Good news: hyperactivity improved the most over time, irritability also got better, but social withdrawal stayed about the same. Children with better verbal skills, fewer autism traits, and those in mainstream schools showed fewer challenging behaviors. Both teachers and parents reported similar patterns, suggesting interventions should target both home and school environments.

This longitudinal study tracked maladaptive behaviors (hyperactivity, irritability, social withdrawal) in 165 individuals with autism or developmental delays from ages 9-18, using both teacher and parent reports. Results showed greatest improvement in hyperactivity, moderate improvement in irritability, but stable social withdrawal over time. Higher verbal ability, fewer autism features, and mainstream school placement were associated with better behavioral outcomes. The multi-informant approach revealed consistent trajectories across home and school contexts, emphasizing the need for coordinated interventions across settings.

Results support multi-context interventions targeting both home and school environments. Social withdrawal requires particular attention as it shows no natural improvement. Verbal ability development may be crucial for overall behavioral improvement. Educational placement decisions should consider potential behavioral benefits of mainstream settings when appropriate.

Study relies on subjective reports from teachers and parents rather than objective behavioral measures. Causal relationships cannot be established due to observational design. Sample characteristics and methodology details are not fully specified in the abstract, limiting interpretation of findings.

People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and non-spectrum developmental delays frequently exhibit maladaptive behaviors throughout the lifespan, which can have pervasive effects on quality of life. Maladaptive behaviors have been shown to change over time as a function of various individual-level factors (e.g., cognitive ability), yet research is primarily limited to parent-reported measures. To expand upon this work, the present study aimed to examine trajectories of teacher- and parent-reported maladaptive behaviors (i.e., hyperactivity, irritability, social withdrawal) and to test whether individual-level predictors (e.g., autism features, verbal intelligence quotient) and school-related predictors (e.g., teacher type, student-adult ratio, personal aide, school type) impact these trajectories among 165 individuals with ASD or non-spectrum delays from ages 9 to 18. Multilevel models revealed that, according to both teacher and parent report, participants showed the greatest improvement in hyperactivity, less but still notable improvement in irritability, and stable levels of social withdrawal over time.

Higher verbal ability and fewer ASD features, in addition to mainstream school placement, emerged as important individual- and school-related differences associated with fewer maladaptive behaviors over time. The multi-informant perspective and longitudinal design provide novel insight into the manifestations of these maladaptive behaviors across different contexts and across time. Findings highlight the consistency of teacher- and parent-reported trajectories over time and further emphasize the importance of targeting maladaptive behaviors using a multisystem intervention approach in both school and home contexts.