TY - JOUR
T1 - Profiles and Predictors of Academic and Social School Functioning among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
AU - Zaidman-Zait, Anat
AU - Mirenda, Pat
AU - Szatmari, Peter
AU - Duku, Eric
AU - Smith, Isabel M.
AU - Zwaigenbaum, Lonnie
AU - Vaillancourt, Tracy
AU - Kerns, Connor
AU - Volden, Joanne
AU - Waddell, Charlotte
AU - Bennett, Teresa
AU - Georgiades, Stelios
AU - Ungar, Wendy J.
AU - Elsabbagh, Mayada
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Society of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Objective: The purpose of the study was to identify profiles and predictors of academic and social functioning in a sample of school-age children with autism spectrum disorder. Method: The study included 178 children (88% boys, 75% Caucasian, ages 10–11) who completed a standardized measure of academic skills and whose teachers completed a related measure. Measures of both academic and social performance were used to construct profiles of school functioning. Measures of language, nonverbal IQ, autism symptom severity, behavior difficulties, and early social-communication skills between ages 3 and 4 were used to examine predictors of profile membership. Latent Profile Analysis was used to identify and describe profiles of children’s academic and social school functioning. Profile membership was then regressed on each of the predictors using a series of multinomial logistic regression models. Finally, a multivariate model that included all significant predictors was built to examine the best fitting constellation of profile predictors. Results: Four profiles–reflecting variation in academic achievement, school engagement, socialization skills, pragmatic language use, and social relationships–captured the diverse school functioning outcomes of the sample. Profile membership was predicted by variation in imitation, responding to joint attention, language ability, nonverbal IQ and behavior difficulties between ages 3 and 4 years. However, in a multivariate model, only language and behavior difficulties emerged as significant predictors. Conclusions: A person-centered approach to targeted early intervention that reduces behavior difficulties and enhances social-communication and language abilities may prove especially important for the promotion of later academic and social functioning at school.
AB - Objective: The purpose of the study was to identify profiles and predictors of academic and social functioning in a sample of school-age children with autism spectrum disorder. Method: The study included 178 children (88% boys, 75% Caucasian, ages 10–11) who completed a standardized measure of academic skills and whose teachers completed a related measure. Measures of both academic and social performance were used to construct profiles of school functioning. Measures of language, nonverbal IQ, autism symptom severity, behavior difficulties, and early social-communication skills between ages 3 and 4 were used to examine predictors of profile membership. Latent Profile Analysis was used to identify and describe profiles of children’s academic and social school functioning. Profile membership was then regressed on each of the predictors using a series of multinomial logistic regression models. Finally, a multivariate model that included all significant predictors was built to examine the best fitting constellation of profile predictors. Results: Four profiles–reflecting variation in academic achievement, school engagement, socialization skills, pragmatic language use, and social relationships–captured the diverse school functioning outcomes of the sample. Profile membership was predicted by variation in imitation, responding to joint attention, language ability, nonverbal IQ and behavior difficulties between ages 3 and 4 years. However, in a multivariate model, only language and behavior difficulties emerged as significant predictors. Conclusions: A person-centered approach to targeted early intervention that reduces behavior difficulties and enhances social-communication and language abilities may prove especially important for the promotion of later academic and social functioning at school.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85085008667&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/15374416.2020.1750021
DO - 10.1080/15374416.2020.1750021
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C2 - 32324064
AN - SCOPUS:85085008667
SN - 1537-4416
VL - 50
SP - 656
EP - 668
JO - Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology
JF - Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology
IS - 5
ER -