The Relationship Between Self-Regulation Difficulties and Adaptive Functioning in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research on the self-regulation of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has revealed that their inability to regulate is associated with challenges and delayed development. This study aims to assess self-regulation difficulties (SRD) and adaptive functions (AF) among children with ASD. SRD and AF were evaluated using a quantitative research design. The research sample comprised 92 children with ASD, aged 6–12, with an average age of 8.719 and a standard deviation of 2.025. The self-regulation difficulties Scale and the Adaptive Function Scale were utilised for assessment. The results showed statistically significant negative correlations between all domains of SRD (physiological difficulties, emotional difficulties, facing transitions challenges/difficulties) and AF (conceptual domain, practical domain, social domain). The analysis revealed statistically significant negative correlations across all domains, with coefficients ranging from r = -0.291 to r = -0.466 (p < 0.01) indicating strong relationships, except for emotional difficulties which showed weaker but still significant correlations (r = -0.243 to r = -0.267, p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed between males and females regarding AF and SRD in children with ASD. Additionally, AF in children with ASD were predicted by the total degree and domains of SRD (physiological difficulties, facing transitions challenges/difficulties), except for emotional difficulties. The findings were interpreted and contextualised within the framework of extant literature in the field.