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Publication Date

2022-05-09

First Advisor

Ellen Hanson

Document Type

Honors Project

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Neuroscience

Keywords

Autism Spectrum Disorders, self-injury behavior, socioeconomic status, language, children

Abstract

A class of behaviors with particular concern in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are self-injurious behaviors (SIBs) due to their potential to cause physical harm. Roughly half of children with ASD engage in SIBs, making the identification of risk factors important in protecting the health and safety of these children. This study analyzed data from 66 children with the purpose of identifying potential risk factors for both the presence and severity of 8 specific types of SIBs. The following risk factors were examined: expressive language ability, annual household income, maternal education level, paternal education level, and combined parent education level. Prevalence rates were calculated for each risk factor, showing differing SIB prevalence across risk factors. Correlations were also calculated between each potential risk factor and each type of SIB’s presence and severity ratings. All risk factors tested were not independently significantly associated with specific types of SIBs. This study presents a new finding that the interaction between household income and combined parent education level are significantly associated with total SIB severity. This supports the theory that socioeconomic status may impact children with ASD and their families.

Rights

©2022 Lindsey Rosenthal. Access limited to the Smith College community and other researchers while on campus. Smith College community members also may access from off-campus using a Smith College log-in. Other off-campus researchers may request a copy through Interlibrary Loan for personal use.

Language

English

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