Skill acquisition and task responsibility in children with autism: an item level analysis of the PEDI-CAT

Abstract

Objective: This study examined differences in the age when the performance of a daily activity is considered easy for a child and the age when the child can take on most responsibility for the corresponding task. A sample of children with autism was compared to a normative sample. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of PEDI-CAT data from an autism sample (n=356) and a normative sample (n=2,205). Children (ages 3-21) were classified into one of six age groups. Crosstabs were conducted to determine the age group when 50% of parents in each sample reported that a Daily Activity item was "easy" and when 50% reported their child took "most responsibility" for a corresponding Responsibility item. Visual analysis examined differences in these two points. Results: Parents of children and youth with autism reported that the majority of Daily Activities were "easy" at a later age group compared to the normative sample. "Most responsibility" also was reached a later age group in the ASD sample or not reached at all. Conclusion: For children and youth with and without autism, there is an age gap between when relevant skills are mastered and when they take responsibility for managing the overall task.