Comparative research of behavior problems between high functioning autism children and Asperger syndrome children

Abstract

Objective To analyze and compare behavior problems of school aged children between high functioning autism(HFA) and Asperger syndrome(AS). Methods Using the Child Behaviour Checklist(CBCL) to investigate and compare behavior problems of 20 children with HFA,25 children with AS and 27 matched con-trois,and to analyze the relation of behavior problems and age in children with HFA and AS by linear regression. Results (1) Compared with the control group,behavior problems in both HFA group and AS group had a signifi-cant differenee(P<0.05). (2)Compared with the HFA group, scores of learning ability in AS group had a signifi-cant increase [(1.96±1.08) vs (3.13±1.07 ), P<0.05]. (3) There was linear regressive relation between age and the scores of behavior problems such as uncomfortable describing in body, associating disability, violating disci-pline in both HFA and AS group. With the increasing of age, these behavior problems increased, but their increas-ing relative degree was different. Conclusion There are some difference in behavior problems of school age chil-dren between HFA and AS, which supported a view AS is an independent subgroup in pervasive developmental dis-orders. The difference need to be considered in behavioral intervention of children with HFA and AS. Key words: High functioning autism; Asperger syndrome; Behavior problems; School age