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Joint trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2016

Tracy Vaillancourt ,
John D. Haltigan ,
Isabel Smith ,
Lonnie Zwaigenbaum ,
Peter Szatmari ,
Eric Fombonne ,
Charlotte Waddell ,
Eric Duku ,
Pat Mirenda  and
Stelios Georgiades
...Show all authors
Tracy Vaillancourt*
Affiliation:
University of Ottawa
John D. Haltigan
Affiliation:
University of Ottawa
Isabel Smith
Affiliation:
Dalhousie University
Lonnie Zwaigenbaum
Affiliation:
University of Alberta
Peter Szatmari
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
Eric Fombonne
Affiliation:
Oregon Health and Science University
Charlotte Waddell
Affiliation:
Simon Fraser University
Eric Duku
Affiliation:
McMaster University
Pat Mirenda
Affiliation:
University of British Columbia
Stelios Georgiades
Affiliation:
McMaster University
Teresa Bennett
Affiliation:
McMaster University
Joanne Volden
Affiliation:
University of Alberta
Mayada Elsabbagh
Affiliation:
Independent Scholar
Wendy Roberts
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
Susan Bryson
Affiliation:
Autism Research Centre, Halifax
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Tracy Vaillancourt, Department of Education and Psychology, University of Ottawa, 145 Jean-Jacques-Lussier, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada; E-mail: tracy.vaillancourt@uottawa.ca.
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Abstract

The co-occurring development of internalizing and externalizing problems were examined in an inception cohort of 392 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at age 3 who were assessed on four occasions. Results indicated that internalizing and externalizing problems were stable over time and highly comorbid. Joint trajectory analysis suggested that 13% of the sample followed a dual high-risk trajectory. High risk was not found to be associated with intellectual ability or autism spectrum disorder symptom severity but was linked to lower income and gender: more girls than boys were found in the high/stable internalizing problems trajectory. The results suggest that 1 in 4 preschoolers followed a trajectory of internalizing or externalizing problems (or a combination of the two) that could be characterized as clinically elevated.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 29 , Special Issue 1: Developmental and Social–Ecological Perspectives on Children, Political Violence, and Armed Conflict , February 2017 , pp. 203 - 214
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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