KIMS Doctors’ Study on ‘Maladaptive Behaviour Among Children With Autism Published in Reputed Indian Journal of Pediatrics

A study conducted by KIMS doctors on Maladaptive Behaviour among children with Autism has been published in the reputed Indian Journal of Pediatrics. The study titled ‘Maladaptive Behaviour and Associated Factors among Young Children with Autism’, has an impact factor 5.319 indexed in Scopus, Pubmed, Medline and Web of Science.

The authors of the article are Dr.Priyadarsini Samanta (Associate Professor Physiology, KIMS); Dr. Ansuman Panigrahi; Dr. Laxman Kumar Senapati (Assistant Professor Anesthesiology, KIMS); Dr. Durga Prasad Mishra (Associate Professor DRIEMS); Dr. Jayaprakash Russel Ravan (Professor &HOD Psychiatry KIMS); and Dr. Jayanti Mishra (Professor &HOD Physiology KIMS).

The present study assessed the prevalence of clinically significant maladaptive behaviours and associated factors among two to five-year-old male children diagnosed with autism. The cross-sectional study included mothers of 88 boys with autism between 2 to 5 years, conducted in the year 2019. Using the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), mothers rated their child’s maladaptive behaviours. 

Withdrawn (94.3%), attention problems (60.2%), and sleep problems (53.4%) were the predominant CBCL syndrome scales. CBCL overall scores in the clinically relevant range were found in 76 (86.4%) children with autism (87.5% and 42% of children had clinically significant internalizing and externalizing problems, respectively). 

Socio-demographic factors like autism severity and caffeine consumption were found to be significantly associated with maladaptive behaviours. According to the study, there is an urgent need for designing effective behavioural management strategies incorporating various risk factors to enhance the quality of life among these vulnerable children.