Examining the Relationship Between Social Functioning and Daily Living Skills in Children with and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social communication and interaction deficits, as well as restricted and repetitive behaviors. Previous research has examined the role that social deficits play on the development of daily living skills in children with ASD. However, there is a lack of research on this specific relationship. This study was conducted to examine the relationship between social functioning, as measured by the Socialization/Nonverbal Communication factor of the Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtIsm Traits (BISCUIT) and daily living skills, as measured by the Daily Living Skills subdomain of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales – 2rd edition (VABS-2) in three groups of children; those who received a diagnosis of ASD, those who received a diagnosis other than ASD, and those who received no diagnosis, resulting in a total of 140 participants. A one-way MANOVA was run to assess for significant differences across groups, and three linear regression were run to evaluate the impact socialization deficits had on daily living skills. Results showed that socialization significantly predicts daily living skills, and that this relationship is most impacted in those who have received a diagnosis other than ASD. Clinical implications of the findings and future directions are discussed.