Abstract
BackgroundRestricted and repetitive behaviors are characteristic phenotypic features of many neurodevelopmental, psychiatric, and neurological conditions. During early childhood, such behaviors are considered normative. More research is needed to delineate the dimensions of restricted and repetitive behavior across typical and atypical development during this period.MethodsWe developed the 34-item parent-rated Repetitive Behavior Scale for Early Childhood (RBS-EC) to capture quantitative, dimensional features across a broad range of behaviors contributing to this domain. We evaluated its psychometric properties and factor structure in a community sample of 914 toddlers.ResultsThe RBS-EC showed excellent overall internal consistency (α = 0.90), strong test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.87 for topographies and 0.90 for frequency) and evidence of convergent and discriminative validity. Using a split-half approach to factor analysis, we identified that a three- or four-factor structure best fit the data and confirmatory factor analysis indicated acceptable fit for both models. The empirically derived four-factor model was consistent with our conceptual model and included repetitive motor, restricted interests and behavior, ritual and routine, and self-directed behavior.ConclusionsThis initial study indicates that the RBS-EC is a reliable and valid instrument for characterizing quantitative, dimensional aspects of restricted and repetitive behaviors in young children.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s11689-016-9161-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Restricted and repetitive behaviors are characteristic phenotypic features of many neurodevelopmental, psychiatric, and neurological conditions
The presence of restricted and repetitive behavior (RRB) is not unique to pathological conditions. Such behaviors occur over the entire course of normative human and nonhuman development [9,10,11]. This is most evident in early childhood, as typically developing children express a range of RRBs from infancy through school age
We describe a newly developed parent- orcaregiver rated measure of restricted and repetitive behaviors designed for use in early childhood
Summary
Restricted and repetitive behaviors are characteristic phenotypic features of many neurodevelopmental, psychiatric, and neurological conditions. During early childhood, such behaviors are considered normative. The presence of RRBs is not unique to pathological conditions Such behaviors occur over the entire course of normative human and nonhuman development [9,10,11]. This is most evident in early childhood, as typically developing children express a range of RRBs from infancy through school age. In human infants and toddlers, motor stereotypies are quite common and develop in progressive fashion, likely supporting the
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