Brief Report: Self-Injurious Behaviors in Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Compared to Other Developmental Delays and Disorders.

Self-injury was measured by a caregiver-report question and was not confirmed by clinicians, so parents may have reported less severe or transient self-injury. The study did not collect data on the type, amount, or severity of interventions the children had received, so treatment history could have influenced the reported differences. Data on adaptive behavior skills and sensory processing abnormalities were missing for most children with developmental delays, so their contribution to self-injury could not be assessed. The sample came from six United States sites and was not a representative sample of all children with autism spectrum disorder or developmental delays. The developmental delay group included many different conditions, so the findings may not apply equally to every child with a delay. The study compared reported prevalence, not causes, and it did not test whether any intervention reduces self-injury.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The supplied text does not state who funded the study or whether a sponsor designed it.

Do not read this as proof that autism causes self-injury or that any therapy changes it. The study compared parent-reported prevalence in groups and did not measure severity, treatment, or intervention effects.