title: Health-related quality of life in children with high-functioning autism.
abstract: The health-related quality of life of school-aged children with high-functioning autism is poorly understood. The objectives of this study were to compare the health-related quality of life of children with high-functioning autism to that of typically developing peers and to compare child-self and parent-proxy reports of health-related quality of life of children. A cross-sectional study of children with high-functioning autism (n = 30) and peers (n = 31) was conducted using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 Generic Core Scales. Children with high-functioning autism had significantly poorer health-related quality of life than peers whether reported by themselves (p < .001) or their parents (p < .001), although disagreement (intra-class coefficient = -.075) between children and parental scores suggested variance in points of view. This study specifically investigated health-related quality of life in children with high-functioning autism as compared to a sample of peers, from the child's perspective. It strengthens earlier findings that children with high-functioning autism experience poorer health-related quality of life than those without this disorder and points to the importance of clinicians working with families to identify areas in a child's life that promote or hinder their sense of well-being.
authors.affiliation: University of Vermont, USA mpotvin@uvm.edu.
authors.forename: Marie-Christine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Potvin
authors.affiliation: McGill University, Canada.
authors.forename: Laurie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Snider
authors.affiliation: University of Vermont, USA.
authors.forename: Patricia A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Prelock
authors.affiliation: McGill University, Canada.
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wood-Dauphinee
authors.affiliation: McGill University, Canada.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kehayia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D020817:Asperger Syndrome / Q000523:psychology*; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D014707:Vermont
keywords: Asperger disorder; autism; autistic disorder; health-related quality of life; pervasive developmental disorder