Children at risk of exclusion from school could have autistic
behavioural traits, according to new research.
The study,
published in the April issue of the British Journal of
Psychiatry, suggests that up to a third of children who are at
risk of being excluded from school for disruptive behaviour could
have undiagnosed social communication problems of an autistic
type.
Researchers from the UCL Institute of Child
Health (ICH) recruited 26 persistently disruptive children aged
6-13 years old from primary schools in the London borough of
Hackney. 16 of the children had been excluded from school at least
once before, and 10 were considered by their teachers to be at high
risk of exclusion. The researchers interviewed the children’s
parents, and the children were given tests of IQ, attention, social
cognition and theory of mind.
The researchers found that 9 of the 26
disruptive children (35 per cent) and met clinical criteria for an
autism-spectrum disorder. However, their social communications had
not been detected by a professional.
Lead researcher Professor David Skuse,head of
behavioural and brain sciences at the ICH and manager of the UK’s
National Centre for High Functioning Autism at Great Ormond Street
Hospital NHS Trust (GOSH), said:
“Our research shows that many children who get
into trouble at school are being labelled ‘disruptive’ or
‘aggressive’ by their teachers and peers, when in reality they are
displaying behaviours that are consistent with traits we see in
clinically diagnosed autism. The children involved in our study
have been recommended for appropriate treatment and their
educational needs should now be recognised and adjusted
accordingly.
“Teachers should be supported to identify
these children before they are unfairly excluded from school and
they miss out on the education and learning opportunities they
deserve.”
For further information, please
contact:
Liz Leicester
or Deborah Hart in the Communications
Department.
Telephone: 020 7235 2351 Extensions. 6298 or 6127
References:
Donno R, Parker G, Gilmour J and Skuse DH (2010) Social communication deficits in disruptive primary-school children, British Journal of Psychiatry, 196: 282-289