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Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

, Volume 48, Issue 8, pp 2870–2878 | Cite as

Brief Report: Developmental Trajectories of Adaptive Behavior in Children and Adolescents with ASD

  • Allison T. Meyer
  • Patrick S. Powell
  • Nicole Butera
  • Mark R. Klinger
  • Laura G. Klinger
Brief Report
First Online:

Abstract

Research suggests that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have significant difficulties with adaptive behavior skills including daily living and functional communication skills. Few studies have examined the developmental trajectory of adaptive behavior across childhood and adolescence. The present study examined longitudinal trajectories of adaptive behavior in a community-based clinic sample of 186 individuals with ASD. The overall pattern indicated an initial increase in adaptive behavior during early childhood followed by a plateau in skills during adolescence for individuals of all IQ groups. Given the importance of adaptive behavior for employment and quality of life, this study emphasizes the importance of targeting adaptive behavior during adolescence to insure continued gains.

Keywords

Adaptive behavior Autism Developmental trajectories 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

This manuscript was completed with support from Foundations of Hope and Autism Speaks. The authors would like to thank all participants and the TEACCH Autism Program. Last, we would like to acknowledge the foresight of Dr. Eric Schopler and Dr. Gary Mesibov to create a database of clinical assessment records in the early days of TEACCH that allowed for this important longitudinal research.

Author Contributions

ATM and PSP conceived of the study, completed data entry, conducted preliminary analyses, and drafted the manuscript. NB completed developmental trajectory analyses with support from PSP. LK participated in the design and provided suggestions during manuscript preparation; MK participated in the design of the study, provided advice on statistical analyses and provided suggestions during manuscript preparation.

Funding

This study was funded by the Foundations of Hope and Autism Speaks (8316).

Compliance with Ethical Standards

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors. This study was approved by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Institutional Review Board for archival medical records review.

Supplementary material

10803_2018_3538_MOESM1_ESM.docx (362 kb)
Supplementary material 1 (DOCX 362 KB)

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018

Authors and Affiliations

  • Allison T. Meyer
    • 1
    • 6
  • Patrick S. Powell
    • 2
  • Nicole Butera
    • 3
  • Mark R. Klinger
    • 4
  • Laura G. Klinger
    • 5
  1. 1.Department of Psychology and NeuroscienceUniversity of North Carolina – Chapel HillChapel HillUSA
  2. 2.School of PsychologyGeorgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUSA
  3. 3.Department of BiostatisticsUniversity of North Carolina – Chapel HillChapel HillUSA
  4. 4.Department of Allied Health SciencesUniversity of North Carolina – Chapel HillChapel HillUSA
  5. 5.TEACCH Autism Program, Department of PsychiatryUniversity of North Carolina – Chapel HillChapel HillUSA
  6. 6.JFK PartnersUniversity of Colorado School of MedicineAuroraUSA

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