The effects of developmental quotient and diagnostic criteria on challenging behaviors in toddlers with developmental disabilities.
Higher developmental scores can ride along with more problem behaviors in toddlers with ASD—check the label before you predict.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Lyall et al. (2012) looked at the toddlers who had autism or other delays.
They gave each child a developmental test and counted how often kids hit, bit, or had tantrums.
The team then asked: does higher or lower ability predict more behavior problems?
What they found
Toddlers with an ASD label showed more problem behaviors when their test scores were higher.
Kids with delays but no ASD showed the opposite pattern: lower scores meant more behaviors.
The link was strongest in the social and motor parts of the test.
How this fits with other research
Burrows et al. (2018) adds a warning: parent mood and child language level can tilt screeners.
Their finding extends Kristen’s point—numbers on a page change depending on who fills the form.
Ferreri et al. (2011) and Cryan et al. (1996) map behaviors or skills in other syndromes, but none split the ASD versus non-ASD curve the way Kristen did.
Together the set says: always pair test scores with context and diagnosis.
Why it matters
Do not assume lower ability equals worse behavior. For a two-year-old with ASD, bright sparks can bring big frustration. Watch play skills and social interest first, then plan supports that match the child’s profile, not the score alone.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Previous research has found that individuals with intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and those with greater symptom severity within these diagnoses, show higher rates of aggressive/destructive behavior, stereotypic behavior, and self-injurious behavior. In this exploratory cross-sectional study, toddlers at-risk for a developmental disorder (n=1509) ranging from 17 to 36 months fell into one of three diagnostic categories: Autistic Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified [PDD-NOS], and atypically developing - no ASD diagnosis. Mental health professionals from EarlySteps, Louisiana's Early Intervention System, interviewed parents and guardians using the Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtIsm Traits (BISCUIT) -Part 3 (Matson, Boisjoli, & Wilkins, 2007) to obtain measures of challenging behaviors and the Battelle Developmental Inventory, 2nd Edition (BDI-2) (Newborg, 2005) to obtain developmental quotients (DQ). Toddlers diagnosed with Autistic Disorder or PDD-NOS showed a positive relationship between total DQ and challenging behavior; whereas, atypically developing toddlers with no ASD diagnosis showed a more adaptive, negative relationship. The DQ domains that were most influential on challenging behaviors varied by diagnosis, with communication and motor domains playing greater roles for toddlers with Autistic Disorder or PDD-NOS, and personal-social and cognitive domains playing greater roles for atypically developing toddlers with no ASD diagnosis.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2012 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2012.02.005