Quetsch and colleagues compared 450 autistic children to 432 neurotypical controls based on caregiver reports of aggressive behavior. Their analysis of results indicated that, across development, autistic children engaged in more verbal aggressive behavior with greater intensity than neurotypical children, although the degree of difference diminished as the children grew older.
Abstract
As many as half of all autistic youth face challenges with aggression. And while research in this area is growing, the prevalence and characterization of aggressive behaviors across autistic development remains poorly understood. This lack of knowledge on the autistic experience is further clouded as aggression is rarely compared against non-autistic youth samples. To address this gap in the literature, the present study compared autistic children (N = 450) to non-autistic children (N = 432) on multiple caregiver-report measures of aggressive behavior and associated constructs (i.e., anger, disruptive behavior) across key developmental periods (<6, 6–12, 13–17 years) via a cross-sectional design. Outcomes indicated higher levels of verbal aggression and behavioral intensity for autistic youth across development. Further, autistic children under age 6 had more significant levels of physical aggression than non-autistic peers; however, these levels became equal to non-autistic peers as the youths aged. Implications for differences in the presence of aggressive behavior as well as possible treatment options for aggression are discussed.
Citation
Quetsch, L. B., Brown, C., Onovbiona, H., Bradley, R., Aloia, L., & Kanne, S. (2023). Understanding aggression in autism across childhood: Comparisons with a non‐autistic sample. Autism Research, 16(6), 1185–1198.
Dr Martin Fracker 