Parents' and Teachers' Perspectives of Autism and Co-Morbidity Symptom Severity in Young Children with ASD Over One School Year.
Teacher ratings of autism and inattention start high but move toward parent ratings by spring, while parent-reported anxiety stays higher all year.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Avni et al. (2025) tracked the same kids with autism for one whole school year.
They asked parents and teachers to rate autism traits, inattention, and anxiety in the fall and again in the spring.
No extra treatment was given; they just watched the numbers change.
What they found
In the fall, teachers scored autism and inattention worse than parents did.
By spring, teacher scores dropped and moved closer to parent scores.
Parents kept reporting more anxiety than teachers all year long.
How this fits with other research
Cramm et al. (2009) first showed parents usually report more psychiatric problems than teachers. Einat’s team now shows the gap can shrink over time, so early-year ratings may look like a contradiction but are really just a snapshot.
Reed et al. (2013) found parent-teacher behavior ratings rarely match and said parenting stress is not the cause. Einat adds that, without any stress intervention, the two views still converge as the school year rolls on.
Greene et al. (2019) found teachers already see high anxiety in almost half of their students with autism. Einat agrees anxiety stays on the radar, but parents consistently see even more.
Why it matters
Collect both parent and teacher rating scales at the start of every school year. If the numbers clash, wait and re-check in the spring before big program changes. Keep anxiety on your list—parents are usually the first to spot it.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
PURPOSE: Only a few studies examined the longitudinal pattern of parent-teacher reports on autism severity and comorbidities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and yielded conflicting results. The study's aims were to compare parents and teachers' perception of autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety symptoms severity in children with ASD, at the start (T1) and end (T2) of the school year, to assess changes in their perception over time and to examine correlations between their reports. METHODS: The study included 73 participants, (M = 61), aged 2:10 - 7:6 years (M = 4:10, SD = 1:0), who attended ASD special education classes and were receiving intensive interventions. Parents and teachers completed measures of autism severity and ADHD and anxiety symptoms at T1 and T2. RESULTS: Teachers, in comparison to parents, rated more severe social-communication impairments and inattention symptoms at T1, but not at T2. A significant improvement in teachers' ratings of autism and inattention symptoms severity was documented at T2. At both time points, parents reported more severe anxiety symptoms. Significant correlations between parents' and teachers' reports were noted for autism severity at T1 and T2, but not for inattention and anxiety symptoms severity. CONCLUSION: The study emphasizes the contribution of multiple perspectives for better collaboration between home and school environments. Obtaining accurate information from parents and teachers at the start of the school year may help to identify factors needed for better adjustment at school and to better address difficulties at home.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2025 · doi:10.1089/cap.2005.15.477