Patterns of emotional and behavioural disturbance associated with autistic traits in young people with severe intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviours.

Hill et al. (2006) looked at youth who had severe intellectual disability plus serious challenging behavior. They asked: do the kids who also show autistic traits look different on a mental-health checklist?

The team gave everyone the DASH-II. This tool asks about anxiety, mania, stereotypy, and other problem areas. Then they compared scores for kids with and without autistic traits.

Kids with autistic traits scored higher on several DASH-II sub-scales. The biggest jumps were in anxiety, mania, stereotypy, and the PDD/autism scale.

In plain words, within a group that already had severe ID and tough behaviors, the autistic subgroup showed extra emotional storm flags.

Brereton et al. (2006) ran a similar same-year comparison and also saw more parent-rated problems in autistic youth versus ID-only peers. The two studies back each other up even though they used different checklists.

Cox et al. (2015) later extended the idea to special-ed adolescents. They linked higher SCQ autistic-trait scores to elevated CBCL problems in anxiety, attention, and social areas, showing the pattern holds outside the severe-ID bubble.

Ding et al. (2017) looks like a contradiction at first. In Down syndrome, 37% of kids screened positive for ASD traits yet their social deficits were milder. The difference is population: Down syndrome plus ASD shows a softer social profile than the severe-ID group Jennie studied, so the emotional spike is less intense.

If you assess a client with severe ID and challenging behavior, a quick screen for autistic traits can sharpen your case plan. Expect sharper anxiety, mania, and stereotypy if traits are present, and plan interventions such as sensory breaks, predictable schedules, or mood monitoring. The DASH-II gives you a ready map, and the pattern has been echoed across age groups and measures.