Longitudinal trajectories of self-care performance in children with and without developmental conditions.
Self-care growth slows after age four in autism and developmental delays, and the child’s starting level predicts later adaptive living gaps.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Huang et al. (2026) followed the same kids for one and a half years. They looked at brushing teeth, washing hands, and other daily self-care tasks. The group had children with autism, children with general delays, and typical peers.
What they found
After age four, the autism and delay groups added new self-care skills more slowly than typical kids. A child’s self-care score at the first visit predicted their later adaptive living skills. The gap did not close with time.
How this fits with other research
Chi et al. (2021) saw the same lag in a single snapshot; the new study shows the lag keeps growing. Rose et al. (2000) also found slow but steady gains in self-care among UK children with severe delays; the Taiwan sample now repeats that pattern in Asia.
Cummings et al. (2024) pooled data and found executive-function growth in autism keeps pace with typical peers. Self-care and thinking skills are moving at different speeds, so you need separate plans for each domain.
Davison et al. (2002) showed early parent–child sync predicts later language. Chien-Yu adds that early self-care level predicts later adaptive skills. Both tell the same story: what you see at four gives you a map for the next decade.
Why it matters
Start detailed self-care probes before age four. If the score is low, add intensive daily-living goals right away and keep them in the plan. Re-check every six months; the slope, not just the score, tells you if your teaching is working.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Add a baseline self-care probe to your intake and set at least one daily-living goal if the score is below age peers.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Limited research has explored the longitudinal development of children's self-care performance in East Asian contexts. This study aimed to examine the 1.5-year trajectories of self-care skills in Taiwanese children with typical development (TD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and other developmental conditions (DC), and their associations with child and family factors and later adaptive skills in different settings. METHODS: Caregivers of 1056 children (664 TD, 89 ASD, 303 DC) completed the Self-Care Performance Assessment for Children (SCPAC) across four timepoints, six months apart (response rates=14-49 %). The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, Third Edition (VABS-3) was administered at later timepoints. Latent growth curve modeling, stratified by age group (0-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12 years), was used to estimate self-care performance trajectories with child- and family-related factors as covariates. The lagged effects of SCPAC scores on VABS-3 domestic and community subdomain scores were evaluated with path analysis. RESULTS: Distinct trajectories were observed in SCPAC total and subdomains across age and diagnostic groups. Children in the ASD and DC groups showed lower self-care performance after age 4 and slower progress before age 4. Number of siblings and caregiver education were associated with baseline level or growth rate of self-care performance in certain age groups. The overall self-care performance significantly predicted later domestic and community living skills. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide nuanced insights into the diverse developmental patterns of self-care skills across ages and diagnoses, suggesting that children with developmental needs may benefit from targeted support in specific self-care areas at key stages of childhood.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2026 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2026.105226