Evidence for three subtypes of repetitive behavior in autism that differ in familiality and association with other symptoms
Open accessAbstract
Background: Restricted repetitive behaviors (RRBs) are a core feature of autism and consist of a variety of behaviors, ranging from motor stereotypies to complex circumscribed interests. The objective of the current study was to examine the structure of RRBs in autism using relevant items from the Autism Diagnostic Interview‐Revised in a sample of 316 individuals with autistic disorder. Methods/Results: Using exploratory factor analysis, three distinct factors were identified: Repetitive Motor Behaviors (RMB), Insistence on Sameness (IS), and Circumscribed Interests (CI). RMB were found to be associated with a variety of subject characteristics such as IQ, age, social/communication impairments, and the presence of regression. IS was associated with social and communication impairments whereas CI appeared to be independent of subject characteristics, suggesting CI may be particularly useful in subsetting samples. Based on sib‐pair correlations, IS and CI (but not RMB) appear to be familial. Analysis of the data at the case level suggests that the presence of multiple forms of RRB in an individual is associated with more impairment in the social and communication domains, suggesting a more severe presentation of autistic disorder. Conclusions: There appears to be considerable structure within repetitive behavior in autism. The finding that these behaviors are differentially related to subject characteristics and familiality adds to their validity.
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While a third potential subdimension within repetitive and restricted behaviors, "circumscribed interests", has emerged in some studies, the items within this factor have more commonly been incorporated into the previously described two factors.
“While a third potential subdimension within RRBs, “circumscribed interests”, has emerged in some studies (Lam et al. 2008) encompassing restricted interests and unusual preoccupations, the items within this factor have more commonly been incorporated into the previously described two factors (Bishop et al. 2006).”
From The Diagnosis of Autism: From Kanner to DSM-III to DSM-5 and Beyond (2021) · cites this paper as Lam et al. 2008
Some evidence suggests the presence of a third separate grouping of behavior, fixated interests.
“Some evidence also suggests the presence of a third separate grouping of behavior, fixated interests (Lam et al. 2008)”
From Recent Advances in Autism Research as Reflected in DSM-5 Criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (2015) · cites this paper as Lam et al. 2008
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“Repetitive behaviors can be further broken down into Repetitive Motor Behaviors, Insistence on Sameness and Circumscribed Interests [83].”
BackgroundBig Data Approach to Characterize Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors in Autism
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- Authors
- Lam, K. S. L., Bodfish, J. W., & Piven, J.
- Affiliations
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
- Corresponding author
- Lam, Kristen S.L.
- ORCID
- Piven, Joseph
- Venue
- Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2008-10-27
- Volume
- 49
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 1193-1200
- ISSN
- 0021-9630 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-7610
- PMC
- PMC3709850
- OpenAlex
- W2101110943
- Cited by
- 320
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 43 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 25 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 30 · 2012: 28
- FWCI
- 7.14
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- europepmc.org
- Locations
- Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (5r29mh051217-02, 5u54mh066418-05)
- National Institute of Mental Health (R29MH51217, R01MH061696, U54-MH066418, U54 MH 66418, R21MH085254, R01MH073402, R01MH055284)
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (T32HD040127)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, restricted and repetitive behaviors, repetitive motor behavior, insistence on sameness, circumscribed interests, factor structure, familiality, social communication deficits, regression analysis
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Autistic Disorder, Child, Child, Preschool, Factor Analysis, Statistical, Female, Humans, Infant, Intelligence, Interview, Psychological, Language Disorders, Male, North Carolina, Severity of Illness Index, Social Behavior, Age Distribution, Stereotypic Movement Disorder, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Young Adult
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