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Parents and teachers of children in the general school-age population have been noted to perceive behavioral adjustment in the same children quite differently. Specifically, teachers are often more sensitive raters of disruptive behaviors and classroom-related behaviors, while parents are more sensitive raters of internalizing difficulties. To date, little is known about the concordance of parental and teacher ratings of emotional adjustment in children with autism. Many children with autism have been noted to have significant symptoms of ADHD, which is associated with a number of co-morbid internalizing and externalizing problems.
Objectives:
The purpose of this study was to compare parent and teacher ratings of core ADHD symptoms (e.g., inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity), as well as behavioral and emotional problems commonly comorbid with ADHD (e.g., oppositional behavior, anxiety).
Methods:
Participants were 60 children (46 boys; mean age=9.3 yrs; mean IQ=81) who met DSM-IV criteria for autism on the ADI-R and the ADOS. Parent and teacher behavioral ratings were compared on the Conners Parent Rating Scale (CPRS-R) and Conners Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS-R), using correlational methods.
Results:
Significant positive correlations between parent and teacher ratings suggest that parents and teachers perceive both some symptoms similarly in the same child: cognitive problems/inattention (p<.001), hyperactivity (p<.001), oppositional problems (p<.001), and social problems (p<.05)—but not anxiety (p=.31) or perfectionism (p=.85).
Conclusions:
Findings suggest that parents and teachers perceive core symptoms of ADHD and commonly co-morbid externalizing problems (e.g., oppositional behavior) in a similar manner, that their perceptions of internalizing problems (e.g., anxiety) are less similar. It is hypothesized that although the child may display similar patterns of ADHD symptoms in the home and school environments, that they may present differently in these two environments with regard to more internalizing behaviors such as anxiety.