Abstract
The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) is a widely used questionnaire to assess behavioral and emotional problems. It is often used as a diagnostic screener, but autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are not included in the CBCL for school-aged children. This study investigated patterns of CBCL scores in 108 children with high-functioning ASD from two independent samples, and 67 IQ- and age-matched controls. Scores on the CBCL Thought and Social Problems scales significantly differentiated children with ASD from controls. Both independent ASD samples had the same pattern of elevations, with mean scores over two standard deviations above the mean for Social, Thought, and Attention Problems. The Withdrawn/Depressed scale was elevated to at least the borderline clinical range for half of the ASD sample. This pattern of elevations is consistent with two prior studies of the CBCL with school-aged children with ASD, and therefore may warrant follow-up assessment to rule out an ASD.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Achenbach, T. M. (1991). Manual for child behavior checklist/ 4–18 and 1991 profile. Burlington: University of Vermont Department of Psychiatry.
Achenbach, T. M. (2009a). ASEBA® Web-Link™ ASEBA Overview. Retrieved August 19, 2009 from http://www.aseba.org/ABOUTUS/aseba_overview.html.
Achenbach, T. M. (2009b). ASEBA® Web-Link™ ASEBA Research Updates from Around the World. Retrieved August 19, 2009 from http://www.aseba.org/research/research.html.
Achenbach, T. M., & Rescorla, L. A. (2000). Manual for the ASEBA preschool forms & profiles: an integrated system of multi-informant assessment. Burlington: University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth & Families.
Achenbach, T. M., & Rescorla, L. A. (2001). Manual for the ASEBA school-age forms & profiles: an integrated system of mult-informant assessment. Burlington: University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth & Families.
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington: American Psychiatric Association.
Bolte, S., Dickhut, H., & Poustka, F. (1999). The child behavior checklist (CBCL) in autistic subjects. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 8, 70.
Conners, C. K. (1973). Rating scales for use in drug studies with children. Psychopharmacology Bulletin (Special Issue: Pharmacotherapy of children), 9, 24–84.
Constantino, J. N., & Gruber, C. P. (2005). Social responsiveness scale. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.
Dossetor, D. R. (2007). ‘All that glitters is not gold’: misdiagnosis of psychosis in pervasive developmental disorders—a case series. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 12, 537–548.
Duarte, C. S., Bordin, I. A. S., de Oliveria, A., & Bird, H. (2003). The CBCL and the identification of children with autism and related conditions in Brazil: pilot findings. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 33, 703–707.
Frazier, J. A., Biederman, J., Bellorde, C. A., Garfield, S. B., Geller, D. A., Coffey, B. J., et al. (2001). Should the diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder be considered in children with pervasive developmental disorder? Journal of Attention Disorders, 4, 203–211.
Goldstein, S., & Schwebach, A. J. (2004). The comorbidity of pervasive developmental disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: results of a retrospective chart review. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 34, 329–339.
Grodberg, D. M., & Kolevzon, A. (2009). ADHD symptoms in autism spectrum disorder. Primary Psychiatry, 16, 35.
Holtmann, M., Bolte, S., & Poustka, F. (2005). ADHD, Asperger syndrome, and high-functioning autism. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 44, 1101.
Klin, A., Pauls, D., Schultz, R., & Volkmar, F. (2005). Three diagnostic approaches to Asperger syndrome: implications for research. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 35, 221–234.
Leyfer, O. T., Folstein, S. E., Bacalman, S., Davis, N. O., Dinh, E., Morgan, J., et al. (2006). Comorbid psychiatric disorders in children with autism: interview development and rates of disorders. Journal for Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36, 849–861.
Lord, C., Rutter, M., & LeCouteur, A. L. (1994). Autism diagnostic interview-revised: a revised version of the diagnostic interview for caregivers of individuals with possible pervasive developmental disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24, 659–685.
Lord, C., Risi, S., Lambrecht, L., Cook, E. H., Leventhal, B. L., et al. (2000). The autism diagnostic observation schedule-generic: a standard measure of social and communication deficits associated with the spectrum of autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 30, 205–223.
Mazefsky, C. A. (2009). Psychiatric comorbidity in children and adolescents with high-functioning autism and Asperger’s disorder. Invited presentation at the Organization for Autism Research Organization for Autism Research 7th Annual Autism Research and Intervention Conference, Arlington, VA. October.
McGough, J. J., Loo, S. K., McCracken, J. T., Dang, J., Clark, S., Nelson, S. F., et al. (2008). CBCL pediatric bipolar disorder profile and ADHD: comorbidity and quantitative trait loci analysis. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 47, 1151–1157.
Mick, E., Biederman, J., Pandina, G., & Faraone, S. V. (2003). A preliminary meta-analysis of the child behavior checklist in pediatric bipolar disorder. Biological Psychiatry, 53, 1021–1027.
Minshew, N. J. (1996). Autism. In B. O. Berg (Ed.), Principles of child neurology (pp. 1713–1730). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Minshew, N. J., & Payton, J. B. (1988). New perspectives in autism, part I: the clinical spectrum of autism. Current Problems in Pediatrics, 18, 561–610.
Noterdaeme, M., Minow, F., & Amorosa, H. (1999). Applicability of the child behavior checklist in developmentally delayed children. Z Kinder Jugendpsychiatr Psyhother, 27, 183–188.
Perlman, L. (2000). Adults with Asperger disorder misdiagnosed as schizophrenic. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 31, 221–225.
Quay, H. C. (1983). A dimensional approach to behavior disorder: the revised behavior problem checklist. School Psychology Review, 12, 244–249.
Rapin, I. (1991). Autistic children: diagnosis and clinical features. Pediatrics, 87, 751–760.
Rutter, M., & Schopler, E. (1987). Autism and pervasive developmental disorders: concepts and diagnostic issues. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 17, 159–186.
Volkmar, F. R., & Klin, A. (1996). Yale special interests survey. Unpublished questionnaire, Yale University.
Warnick, E. M., Bracken, M. B., & Kasl, S. (2007). Screening efficiency of the child behavior checklist and strengths and difficulties questionnaire: a systematic review. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 13, 140–147.
Wechsler, D. (1991). Manual for the Wechsler intelligence scale for children (3rd ed.). San Antonio: The Psychological Corporation.
Wiggins, L. D., Baio, J., & Rice, C. (2006). Examination of the time between first evaluation and first autism spectrum diagnosis in a population-based sample. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 27, 579–587.
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to the participants and their families for their commitment to this research. This manuscript was supported in part by NINDS NS33355 (PI Minshew) and NICHD U19HD35469 (PI Minshew), which is part of the NICHD/NIDCD Collaborative Programs for Excellence in Autism (CPEA).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mazefsky, C.A., Anderson, R., Conner, C.M. et al. Child Behavior Checklist Scores for School-Aged Children with Autism: Preliminary Evidence of Patterns Suggesting the Need for Referral. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 33, 31–37 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-010-9198-1
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-010-9198-1