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Social support can buffer against stressors often associated with having family members with autism spectrum disorder. This study included 112 parents and typically developing siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder. Relations between self-reported typically developing sibling emotional and behavioral problems and discrepancy between social support frequency and importance were examined via polynomial regression with response surface analysis. Typically developing siblings who described social support as frequent and important reported relatively few problems. Typically developing siblings who reported social support as highly important but infrequent exhibited the highest emotional and behavioral difficulties. Thus, typically developing siblings with little support who view support as highly important may be particularly responsive to social support improvement efforts.

Research has identified neurocognitive and contextual risk factors of externalizing behaviors. However, fewer studies have examined the interaction among neurocognitive and other risk factors in predicting externalizing behaviors. The goal of the current study was to examine the relation between neurocognitive and contextual factors in predicting externalizing behaviors in a community sample of adolescents. Participants were 84 adolescents, aged 11–17 (M = 13.39, SD = 1.82), recruited as part of a larger study. Separate moderated multiple regression models were utilized in which neurocognitive variables (intellectual functioning, short-term memory/attention, disinhibition) were added as predictors and contextual variables (family dysfunction and parental depression, anxiety, and stress) were added as moderators in step 1, and their interaction was added in step 2. Externalizing behaviors served as criterion variables (hyperactivity/impulsivity and oppositional defiant disorder symptom severity, reactive and proactive aggression). Overall, results suggest that higher levels of problematic contextual factors exacerbate the significant negative associations among neurocognitive functioning and externalizing behaviors. Importantly, this pattern was shown across neurocognitive domains and contextual factors. Findings suggest that contextual factors should be targeted for the treatment or prevention of youth externalizing behaviors, particularly for adolescents with neurocognitive vulnerabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caregivers of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience elevated distress. The current study examined potential protective factors against caregiver distress when child externalizing and internalizing behaviors are present: family resources, perceived social support, parenting efficacy, knowledge of ASD, and the agreement between actual and perceived knowledge of ASD. Caregivers of a child with ASD completed an online questionnaire. Results demonstrated main effects for externalizing behavior, family resources, and perceived social support. Significant interactions were found among parenting efficacy and internalizing behavior, and the agreement between actual and perceived knowledge with both externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Results indicate important factors that should be emphasized when working with families of a child with ASD.

Background: Typically developing (TD) siblings of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often fulfil caregiving roles as children or adults (i.e., parentification, which can be either parent-focused or sibling-focused).Method This study examines how parentification interacts with social support when predicting distress and sibling relationship attitudes in 60 TD adult siblings of individuals with ASD. Results: Perceived social support served as a moderator. Specifically, TD adult siblings who experienced high parent-focused parentification during childhood and low current social support were most likely to report high distress. TD siblings who reported low sibling-focused parentification during childhood and low current social support were most likely to report less positive attitudes about their relationships with their siblings with ASD. Conclusions: Current findings suggest that perceived social support may serve as a potential point of intervention for reducing distress and improving sibling relationship attitudes among adult TD siblings of those with ASD.

The current study explored the longitudinal relation between parental expressed emotion, a well-established predictor of symptom relapse in various other disorders (e.g., schizophrenia) with externalizing behaviors in 84 children, ages 8-18 (at Time 2), with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It was found that parental expressed emotion, specifically criticism/hostility at Time 1, significantly related to a change in externalizing behaviors from Time 1 to Time 2, even after controlling for Time 1 family income, ASD symptom severity, parental distress, and parenting practices. That is, higher levels of parental criticism/hostility at Time 1 predicted higher levels of child externalizing behaviors at Time 2. However, the reverse was not found. This finding of a unidirectional relation has important clinical implications.

Variability within the literature investigating typically-developing siblings of children with an autism spectrum disorder suggests that the quality of sibling outcomes may depend on specific factors. For this study, 42 parents of a child with an autism spectrum disorder and a typically-developing sibling provided data via online questionnaires. Birth order rank of the child with an autism spectrum disorder significantly moderated the relation between externalizing behaviors in children with an autism spectrum disorder and externalizing behaviors in their typically-developing siblings. Children with an autism spectrum disorder and higher levels of behavior problems had typically-developing siblings with higher levels of behavior problems only when the child with an autism spectrum disorder was older. These results provide a hint of clarification about the complex nature of sibling relations, but a great deal more research is needed to further examine outcomes of typically-developing siblings of children with an autism spectrum disorder.

The current study utilized a longitudinal design to examine the effects of neighborhood and parenting on 120 at-risk children's academic and aggressive outcomes, concurrently and at two later timepoints during the transition to middle school. Random effects regression models were estimated to examine whether neighborhood characteristics and harsh parenting predicted change in these problems from 4th to 6th grade. Results indicated that academic problems decreased then increased after the middle school transition, whereas aggression decreased then leveled off. Both neighborhood problems and harsh parenting were associated with academic problems; neighborhood problems and poor support were related to aggression. A significant interaction in predicting aggression was found, indicating that children in more problematic neighborhoods and experiencing harsher parenting exhibited the highest levels of aggression. Findings highlight the relation of neighborhood problems to both academic problems outcomes and aggression in youth and underscore the importance of early prevention efforts. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

Existing literature regarding the adjustment of siblings of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains inconclusive, with some studies showing positive adjustment, others showing negative adjustment, and others showing no difference when compared to siblings of typically-developing children. For the current study, 42 parents of a child with an ASD and a typically-developing sibling (ASD group) and 42 parents of two typically-developing siblings (control group) provided data via online questionnaires. Both diagnostic category and autism symptom severity were tested as possible moderators, but neither produced significant interactions with either externalizing behaviors or internalizing symptoms in the target child when predicting externalizing behaviors, internalizing symptoms, or social problems in the sibling. However, across the overall sample (ASD and control groups), maladjustment--particularly internalizing symptoms--in the target children significantly related to maladjustment in their siblings. Thus, these findings suggest that having a sibling with an ASD is neither a risk nor protective factor for maladjustment among typically-developing siblings above and beyond the relation between maladjustment among siblings in general. Given some of the mixed findings in the literature, other possible moderators that may put siblings of a child with an ASD at specific risk should be considered in future research. (Contains 4 tables.)

Given the propensity for clinical assessment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to focus on core behavioral symptoms, the current study examined how well other predictors classified children who were diagnosed with ADHD by licensed practitioners. Participants were 91 children (39 ADHD-identified, 52 without ADHD), aged 8 to 13 years. In addition to significantly more ADHD symptoms, the ADHD-identified group exhibited significantly more externalizing problems and internalizing symptoms, less adaptive functioning, and greater problem pervasiveness and severity. Binary logistic regression analyses indicated that problem pervasiveness and severity significantly predicted diagnostic group membership when controlling for other predictors, and pervasiveness added unique variance beyond measures of core ADHD symptoms. Diagnostic utility analyses showed measurement of problem pervasiveness and severity to be a useful tool in the identification of ADHD. Findings provide support for the practical use of a parent-report measure of impairment in the home as part of evidence-based assessment of ADHD.

The present study examined relations among sleep, routines, and externalizing behavior (based on parent report) in 115 children ages 6 to 12 years in two groups: 58 children with an autism spectrum disorder (age M = 9.0, SD = 2.09) and 57 non-ASD children (age M = 8.25, SD = 1.98). Within the ASD group, sleep hygiene and sleep quality were related to both routines and externalizing behaviors. In the combined sample, a significant interaction was found between diagnostic status and general routines in predicting externalizing behaviors. Specifically, lower levels of routines were related to higher levels of externalizing behaviors for both groups, whereas higher levels of routines were related to lower levels of externalizing behaviors for the non-ASD group. Further research among these constructs may focus on children with an ASD who experience less consistent routines or significant sleep disturbance. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

The current study examined whether both parents and therapists perceived changes in adaptive social behaviors in children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) following a summer treatment camp. Participants included 12 children (11 male, 1 female; 83% Caucasian; aged 3-7 years) diagnosed with an ASD who attended a 4-week summer camp designed to promote social skills building and peer interaction in the context of sensory-motor and language-based play. Analyses of data collected using a measure developed for the current study (the Adaptive Social Skills Measure; ASSM) to examine children's improvements in the context of peer interactions revealed that both parents and therapists reported positive changes from pre- to post-treatment based on the total scale. Findings from pre- to post-treatment revealed that therapists perceived significant improvement in children for all four subscales (verbal communication, social interaction, attention to task, and transitions), and parents perceived significant improvement in children's verbal communication and social interaction skills. Finally, the overall ratings from pre- to post-treatment did not differ between therapist and parent ratings, suggesting that the improvements perceived at camp were perceived concurrently in the home environment. Overall, the current study provides preliminary evidence of the positive role that summer treatment camps may play in building social skills for children with ASDs.

The current study examines inconsistent discipline as a mediator in the association between maternal distress and child aggression and attention problems. Participants were 215 boys, ranging in age from 9 to 12 years, and their mothers. Mothers provided self-report data on socioeconomic status (SES), parenting stress, maternal distress (depression and anxiety/somatization), and use of parenting practices. They also rated their sons' levels of aggression and attention problems. Of five parenting practices measured, inconsistent discipline was most clearly related to the maternal and child variables of interest. Regression analyses indicated that inconsistent discipline partially mediated the relation between maternal distress and child aggression, when controlling for SES and stress, whereas the mediating role of inconsistent discipline in the association between maternal distress and attention problems was not supported. The different pattern for attention problems, which also includes nondisruptive behaviors, suggests that this mediation may be specific to certain types of child behavior. Given that aggressive behaviors in childhood often lead to more serious delinquency in adolescence, these findings are important for informing prevention and intervention efforts. The need for future research to examine other mediators also is discussed. (Contains 5 tables and 1 figure.)

Examining children's perceptions of their social acceptance in conjunction with others' ratings of their peer social standing can enhance our understanding of the heterogeneity in children exhibiting disruptive behavior problems. Using a sample of 213 youth rated in the top 31 percent of their class on aggressive-disruptive behaviors, the current study examined the interaction between children's perceptions of their social acceptance and their peer-rated social standing in predicting emotional and behavioral problems. Overall, lower peer-rated social standing was associated with higher levels of antisocial behavior, academic problems, and hyperactivity/inattention. On the other hand, higher self-perceived social acceptance was associated with increased levels of peer-rated fighting at school. For children who were rated as having high social standing among their peers, poorer self-perceived social acceptance was associated with increased oppositional behaviors and conduct problems at home. In addition, children who reported lower self-perceived social acceptance exhibited increased levels of depressive symptoms, even when they were relatively well liked by their peers. The potential implications for working with subgroups of children with aggressive-disruptive behaviors are discussed.

Objective: The current study examined how self-reported maternal stress and distress are associated with child disruptive behaviors. Method: Mother and teacher ratings of child disruptive behavior problems (attention problems, aggression, and delinquency) were collected for 215 male participants, ranging in age from 9 to 12 years. Participating mothers also provided self-report data on socioeconomic status (SES), parenting stress, and distress (depression and anxiety/somatization). Results: Low SES was significantly associated with both mother- and teacher-reported child disruptive behavior problems. Regression analyses indicated a relation between parenting stress and mother-reported child disruptive behavior problems, even when controlling for SES. Results also indicated a significant relation between maternal distress and mother-reported child disruptive behavior problems (particularly attention problems), even when controlling for SES and parenting stress. Maternal stress and distress were not significantly related to teacher-reported child disruptive behavior problems. Conclusions: Although the lack of an association between teacher-reported behavior problems and maternal stress and distress could be interpreted as a rater bias by these mothers, it may be that the mothers' symptoms are associated with a stressful home environment, thus exacerbating child disruptive behavior problems and eventually leading to a reciprocal relation between symptomatology in mothers and children. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 2005;44(3):265-273. Key Words: maternal stress, maternal depression, maternal anxiety, child disruptive behavior problems.