Behavioral and emotional profiles of school-age children with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability in Iran: a cross-sectional study.

Researchers in Iran studied 713 children to understand how autism and intellectual disability affect behavior differently. They found that children with autism were more likely to show withdrawn behavior, unusual thinking patterns, and attention difficulties compared to children with intellectual disability alone. This suggests these conditions have different behavioral patterns, which could help with better support and treatment planning.

This Iranian cross-sectional study compared behavioral and emotional profiles between 250 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 463 children with intellectual disability (ID) aged 6-17 years. Using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), researchers found that after controlling for demographic factors, children with ASD showed significantly higher scores in three specific areas: withdrawn behaviors, thought problems, and attention problems compared to children with ID alone. The study suggests the CBCL could be a useful tool for understanding distinct behavioral patterns between these developmental conditions, though more targeted assessment and intervention strategies are needed for each condition.

Findings suggest distinct behavioral profiles between ASD and ID that could inform differential diagnosis and intervention planning. The CBCL may be useful for identifying specific behavioral patterns, particularly withdrawn behaviors, thought problems, and attention difficulties in ASD. Results emphasize need for condition-specific assessment and intervention strategies.

Single cross-sectional design limits causal inferences. Large gender imbalance in ASD group (>95% male) may affect generalizability. Reliance solely on parent-reported measures may introduce bias. Cultural specificity to Iranian population may limit broader applicability.

To date, no study has compared the psychopathologies and unique characteristics of Intellectual Disability (ID) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) among Iranian children. This study aimed to compare the behavioral and emotional profiles of school-age children with ASD and ID. Data were extracted from a large survey consisting of 250 children with ASD and 463 with ID, aged 6-17 years. Diagnoses were based on DSM-V criteria.

The parent version of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was used to evaluate psychopathologies. Scores regarding the sub-scales and specific items were extracted from CBCL and compared in two groups. In the end, the diagnostic value of some specific scores for diagnosing ASD was calculated. The final sample included 250 individuals with ASD and 463 with ID.

The mean age of participants was 11.16 (SD = 2.67) and 12.67 (SD = 3.04) years for the ASD and ID groups, respectively. More than 95% of the ASD group were male, while in the ID group, 216 participants were male (46.7%). After adjusting subscale scores for parents' education, age, gender, and comorbidity in a linear regression model, ASD was only associated with higher withdrawn (P < 0.001), thought problems (P < 0.001), and attention problems (P < 0.001). This study highlights the distinct behavioral profiles in ASD and ID only using CBCL.

Introducing this inventory as a comprehensive scale for understanding developmental disorders. Yet, our findings call for more accurate assessment and intervention strategies for each condition.