title: Supporting the Spectrum Hypothesis: Self-Reported Temperament in Children and Adolescents with High Functioning Autism.
abstract: This study tested the spectrum hypothesis, which posits that children and adolescents with high functioning autism (HFA) differ quantitatively but not qualitatively from typically developing peers on self-reported temperament. Temperament refers to early-appearing, relatively stable behavioral and emotional tendencies, which relate to maladaptive behaviors across clinical populations. Quantitatively, participants with HFA (N = 104, aged 10-16) self-reported less surgency and more negative affect but did not differ from comparison participants (N = 94, aged 10-16) on effortful control or affiliation. Qualitatively, groups demonstrated comparable reliability of self-reported temperament and associations between temperament and parent-reported behavior problems. These findings support the spectrum hypothesis, highlighting the utility of self-report temperament measures for understanding individual differences in comorbid behavior problems among children and adolescents with HFA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Catherine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Burrows
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Usher
authors.affiliation: Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Caley B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.affiliation: UC-Davis MIND Institute, Sacramento, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Peter C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Mundy
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada. hhenderson@uwaterloo.ca.
authors.forename: Heather A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Henderson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D057566:Self Report / Q000592:standards*; D013694:Temperament
keywords: High-functioning autism; Self-report; Spectrum hypothesis; Temperament