Salivary cortisol levels and challenging behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder (original) (raw)

2015, Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Challenging behavior is behavior ''of such intensity, frequency or duration that the physical safety of the person or others is likely to be placed in serious jeopardy, or behavior which is likely to seriously limit use of, or result in the person being denied access to, ordinary community facilities'' (Emerson et al., 2001, p. 3). The prevalence of challenging behavior has been reported to be high among those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); Murphy, Healy and Leader found that among a sample of 157 children with ASD, 82% of participants engaged in at least one form of challenging behavior while 32.5% of the sample engaged in self-injurious behavior (SIB), stereotypy, and aggression. Similarly, Jang, Dixon, Tarbox, and Granpeesheh found that among 84 children with ASD, 94% engaged in at least one form of challenging behavior including such forms as stereotypy, SIB, aggression, and property destruction. Predictors of challenging behavior include autism severity, cognitive functioning, language ability, level of adaptive functioning, and hyperactivity (Gabriels,