Diagnosis as a social determinant: the development of prosocial behaviour before and after an autism spectrum diagnosis
- PMID: 22841319
- DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.06.019
Diagnosis as a social determinant: the development of prosocial behaviour before and after an autism spectrum diagnosis
Abstract
Jutel and Nettleton (2011) discuss diagnosis as not only a major classification tool for medicine but also an interactive social process that itself may have ramifications for health. Consideration of diagnosis as a social determinant of health outcomes led to the formulation of our research question: Can we detect a change in the development of prosocial symptoms before and after an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis? We examined the developmental trajectory of prosocial skills of children, as impairment in social skills is given as a core symptom for children with ASD. We used a validated scale measuring prosocial behaviour for a sample of 57 children where the measure was repeatedly recorded over ten years. We plotted the developmental trajectory of the prosocial trait in this sample who were enrolled in a longitudinal birth cohort study based in South West England. Multi-factorial fixed effect modelling suggests that the developmental trajectory of this measure of behaviour was not significantly altered by ASD diagnosis, or the consequences of diagnosis, either for better or worse. Further analysis was conducted on a subset of 33 of the children who had both pre-diagnosis and post-diagnosis information, and the same result obtained. The results indicate that prosocial behaviours may be resistant to typical 'treatments': provision of educational and specialist health services triggered by a clinical ASD diagnosis. The implications of this for considering diagnosis as a social determinant are discussed.
Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Similar articles
-
Developmental trajectories of behaviour problems and prosocial behaviours of children with intellectual disabilities in a population-based cohort.J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2019 Nov;60(11):1210-1218. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.13080. Epub 2019 Jun 21. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2019. PMID: 31225660
-
Toward better recognition of early predictors for autism spectrum disorders.Pediatr Neurol. 2013 Oct;49(4):225-31. doi: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2013.05.012. Epub 2013 Aug 6. Pediatr Neurol. 2013. PMID: 23932805 Review.
-
Autism spectrum disorder and autistic traits in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children: precursors and early signs.J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2012 Mar;51(3):249-260.e25. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2011.12.009. Epub 2012 Feb 3. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2012. PMID: 22365461
-
Social and behavioural outcomes in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders: a longitudinal cohort study.J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2012 Jul;53(7):735-44. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02490.x. Epub 2011 Nov 23. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2012. PMID: 22111544
-
[The symptoms of autism spectrum disorders in the first two years of life: a review of longitudinal prospective studies].An Pediatr (Barc). 2012 Jan;76(1):41.e1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.anpedi.2011.07.033. Epub 2011 Oct 7. An Pediatr (Barc). 2012. PMID: 21983286 Review. Spanish.
Cited by
-
Past, present and imaginary: Pathography in all its forms.Health (London). 2023 Sep;27(5):886-902. doi: 10.1177/13634593211060759. Epub 2021 Nov 25. Health (London). 2023. PMID: 34818942 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical