The Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Adolescence and Adulthood

This article describes the symptoms of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) manifested by 405 individuals between the ages of 10 and 53 years, all of whom had an ASD diagnosis. Data were collected using the Autism Diagnostic Interview–Revised (ADI-R) to assess the pattern of autism symptoms in adolescence and adulthood. Findings include that although virtually all sample members met the criteria for Autistic Disorder earlier in their childhood, just over half (54.8%) would have met autism criteria if current scores were used to complete the diagnostic algorithm; that adolescents were more likely to improve in the Reciprocal Social Interaction domain than the adults, whereas the adults were more likely to improve in the Restricted, Repetitive Behaviors and Interests domain, and there were no differences in severity of symptoms between cohorts in the Communication domain; and that individual symptoms showed unique trajectories, with greatest symptom abatement between lifetime and current ADI-R ratings for speaking in at least three-word phrases and the least symptom improvement for having friendships. Findings were interpreted in the context of life course development, reformulations of diagnostic criteria, and changing service contexts for individuals with autism spectrum disorders.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44621/1/10803_2004_Article_474978.pd

Stability and Change in Health, Functional Abilities, and Behavior Problems Among Adults With and Without Down Syndrome

Changes in health, functional abilities, and behavior problems among 150 adults with Down syndrome and 240 adults with mental retardation due to other causes were examined with seven assessments over a 9-year period. Adults were primarily younger than 40, the age at which declines begin to be evident in individuals with Down syndrome. Adults with Down syndrome were advantaged in their functional abilities and lack of behavior prob-lems, comparable in health, and exhibited comparable rates of change on these measures as adults with mental retardation due to other causes. Placement out of the parental home and parental death were predictors of change in health, functional abilities, and behavior problems. The past 50 years have been a time of re-markable change for individuals with Down syn-drome, as medical breakthroughs and improve-ments in services have extended their life expec-tancy dramatically (Bittles & Glasson, 2004; Ey-man & Borthwick-Duffy, 1994; Glasson et al., 2002). Significant research attention has been fo-cused on the health and longevity of adults with Down syndrome in the modern era of antibiotics, easier access to health care and life-saving surger-ies, and community rather than institutional res

Well-Being and Family Role Strains Among Cuban American and Puerto Rican Mothers of Adults with Mental Retardation

This article examines predictors of depressive symptoms and caregiving burden in a sample of Cuban American and Puerto Rican caregivers of an adult child with mental retardation. Using a stress process model of caregiving, the focus of this analysis was on family role strains that result from the caregiving process, which were hypothesized to be particularly strong predictors of maternal well-being in Latino families. Findings indicate that Cuban American mothers of adults with mental retardation had higher socioeconomic status than Puerto Rican mothers, yet there was a substantial amount of within-group heterogeneity in family socio-demographic characteristics, linked closely with immigration patterns for the Cuban American mothers. However, taking into account socio-demographic diversity and ethnicity, findings demonstrate that mothers whose family had more problems had higher levels of burden and depressive symptoms, supporting the hypothesized importance of family functioning to Latina mothers with a non-normative parenting challenge

Psychological Well-Being and Coping in Mothers of Youths With Autism, Down Syndrome, orFragile X Syndrome

The psychological well-being of mothers raising a child with a developmental disability varies with the nature of the disability. Most research, however, has been focused on Down syndrome and autism. We added mothers whose adolescent or young adult son or daughter has fragile X syndrome. The sample was comprised of mothers of a child with fragile X syndrome (n 5 22), Down syndrome (n 5 39), or autism (n 5 174). Mothers of individuals with fragile X syndrome displayed lower levels of well-being than those of individuals with Down syndrome, but higher levels than mothers of individuals with autism, although group differences varied somewhat across different dimensions of well-being. The most consistent predictor of maternal outcomes was the adolescent or young adult’s behavioral symptoms. Parents raising a child with a developmental disability face challenges that are not shared by parents of typically developing children (Stone-man, 1997). There is, however, substantial evi-dence that the challenges parents face and the ways in which they deal with these challenges vary with the nature of the child’s disability (Dunst