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Change in Autism Symptoms and Maladaptive Behaviors in Adolescents and Adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

This study examined change prospectively in autism symptoms and maladaptive behaviors during a 4.5 year period in 241 adolescents and adults with an autism spectrum disorder who were 10–52 years old (mean = 22.0) when the study began. Although many individuals’ symptoms remained stable, a greater proportion of the sample experienced declines than increases in their level of autism symptoms and maladaptive behaviors, and there were significant improvements in mean levels of symptoms. Individuals with mental retardation had more autism symptoms and maladaptive behaviors than those without mental retardation, and they improved less over time. Compared to adolescents, older sample members (31 and older) had fewer maladaptive behaviors and experienced more improvement in these behaviors over time.

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Acknowledgments

Support for the preparation of this paper was provided by the National Institute on Aging (R01 AG08768) and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (T32 HD07489 and P30 HD03352). We also thank the individuals with autism and their families who participated in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Wisconsin, 533 Waisman Ctr., 1500 Highland Ave, Madison, WI, 53705 , USA

    Paul T. Shattuck, Marsha Mailick Seltzer & Jan S. Greenberg

  2. Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

    Gael I. Orsmond

  3. University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA

    Daniel Bolt, Sheilah Kring & Julie Lounds

  4. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Catherine Lord

Authors
  1. Paul T. Shattuck
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  2. Marsha Mailick Seltzer
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  3. Jan S. Greenberg
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  4. Gael I. Orsmond
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  5. Daniel Bolt
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  6. Sheilah Kring
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  7. Julie Lounds
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  8. Catherine Lord
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Correspondence to Paul T. Shattuck.

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Shattuck, P.T., Seltzer, M.M., Greenberg, J.S. et al. Change in Autism Symptoms and Maladaptive Behaviors in Adolescents and Adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 37, 1735–1747 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0307-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0307-7

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