A new approach to children's education quarterly

A new approach to children's education quarterly

Examining the Association of Adaptive Behaviors in the Relationship between Behavioral Problems and Developmental Functioning in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Based on the Psychoeducational Profile

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
, Mehdi Fouladgar
, Parisa Tajali
Tahereh Binaei khajekini
Department of Psychology and Education of Exceptional Children, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/naes.2026.578564.1860
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the association of adaptive behaviors in the relationship between behavioral problems and developmental functioning in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) based on the Psychoeducational Profile. This applied research employed a descriptive design and is considered a path analysis study in terms of data collection. The statistical population included all 2–7-year-old children with ASD who were referred to specialized autism centers in Isfahan in 2024. A total of 210 participants were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using the third edition of the Psychoeducational Profile (PEP-3; Schopler et al., 2005). The collected data were analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis and path analysis in SPSS and AMOS software. According to the findings, behavioral problems had a negative and significant association with developmental functioning (P < 0.05). Moreover, the results indicated that adaptive behaviors statistically explain the relationship between behavioral problems and developmental functioning, meaning that a considerable portion of the correlation between behavioral problems and developmental functioning can be accounted for by considering adaptive behaviors. Therefore, strengthening adaptive behaviors may be a useful approach to mitigating the negative consequences of behavioral problems and improving the developmental functioning of children with ASD.
Keywords
Autism Spectrum Disorder
developmental performance
adaptive behaviors
behavioral problems
Subjects