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A Large Scale Study of the Psychometric Characteristics of the IBR Modified Overt Aggression Scale: Findings and Evidence for Increased Self-Destructive Behaviors in Adult Females with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

The psychometric characteristics of the IBR Modified Overt Aggression Scale were studied in over 2,000 people with Intellectual Disability (ID). Reliability ranged from good to excellent. Aggression toward others and objects was highest in the youngest adults, in those in the moderate to severe range of ID, and in those with an autism spectrum diagnosis. Self-injury was highest in those in the severe to profound range of ID and in those with autism, particularly the females. Females with autism were also more likely to make the most self-deprecating statements. Our data suggest that adult females with autism are a unique group and support the notion that mood and anxiety disorders play a role in self-destructive behaviors in this population.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by funds from the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD). The authors are grateful to the following Chief Psychologists without whom this project could not have been done: Ron Michelini, Jerome Meyer, Joseph Szempruch, Donald Noble, Ed Sorel, Don Morris, Susan Verzulli, James Baker, Ann Troy, Richard Zelhof, Stephen Daurio, Mary Kennedy, and Herbert Medetsky, and to Christine Muller, OMRDD Research and Analysis Unit, Division of Policy and Enterprise Solutions, for providing the demographics of the population. The authors are also thankful to Stuart Yudofsky for permission to modify the OAS and to Warren Zigman for his advice and suggestions. Portions of this study were presented at the 13th IASSID World Congress in Cape Town, South Africa.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, 1050 Forest Hill Rd., Staten Island, NY, 10314, USA

    Ira L. Cohen & Soh-Yule Kim

  2. George A. Jervis Clinic, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY, USA

    John A. Tsiouris & Glenn Heaney

  3. Research Design and Analysis Service, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY, USA

    Michael J. Flory

  4. Center for Developmental Neuroscience and Developmental Disabilities, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY, USA

    Robert Freedland

  5. OMRDD Bureau of Behavioral and Clinical Solutions, Albany, NY, USA

    Jill Pettinger

  6. Department of Human Genetics, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY, USA

    W. Ted Brown

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  1. Ira L. Cohen
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  2. John A. Tsiouris
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  7. Jill Pettinger
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Correspondence to Ira L. Cohen.

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Cohen, I.L., Tsiouris, J.A., Flory, M.J. et al. A Large Scale Study of the Psychometric Characteristics of the IBR Modified Overt Aggression Scale: Findings and Evidence for Increased Self-Destructive Behaviors in Adult Females with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 40, 599–609 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-009-0908-z

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