Toward Better Characterization of Restricted and Unusual Interests in Youth with Autism
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| Title: | Toward Better Characterization of Restricted and Unusual Interests in Youth with Autism |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Uljarevic, Mirko (ORCID |
| Source: | Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice. Jul 2022 26(5):1296-1304. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 9 |
| Publication Date: | 2022 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (DHHS/NIH) |
| Contract Number: | R21MH12187601 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Autism Spectrum Disorders, Children, Adolescents, Caregivers, Sensory Experience, Repetition, Parents, Interests |
| DOI: | 10.1177/13623613211056720 |
| ISSN: | 1362-3613 1461-7005 |
| Abstract: | Despite their high prevalence and clinical importance in autism, unusual and restricted interests remain under-researched and poorly understood. This study aimed to characterize the frequency and type of interests in autism by coding caregivers' open-ended responses in a sample of 237 autistic children and adolescents (M[subscript age] = 8.27 years, SD[subscript age] = 4.07; range: 2.08-18.25 years). It further aimed to explore the effects of age, sex, cognitive functioning and social and communication deficits on the number and type of interests. We found that 75% of autistic youth had at least one interest and that 50% of those children showed two or more different interests. The most frequent interests were sensory-based (43%), with a majority of these interests relating to the visual modality. Interest within vehicles/transportation, fictional characters, television/digital versatile disk/movies, computers, and video games, constructive, mechanical objects, animals and plants, and attachment to specific objects were also prevalent. Logistic regression showed that being male, having a co-occurring intellectual disability and having more severe social and communication impairments were associated with a higher probability of having one or more restricted interests. Sex was significantly associated with the type (X[superscript 2] = 37.52, Phi = 0.37, p = 0.021) of restricted interests, with females showing a significantly higher percentage of creative interests and males significantly higher percentage of interest in characters, vehicles/transportation, computers/video games, mechanical objects and constructive interests. Theoretical and measurement implications are discussed. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2022 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1346619 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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