Relationships Between Emotion Regulation, Social Communication and Repetitive Behaviors in Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Agustín E Martínez-González, Matti Cervin, Jose A Piqueras
PMID 34709530WHAT IT FOUND
Better emotion regulation linked to less self-injury, while better social communication linked to less stereotypic behavior in autism.
These specific associations were distinct: emotion regulation did not predict stereotypic behavior, and social communication did not predict self-injury.
Key findings
01Emotion regulation showed a strong negative association with self-injurious behaviors, meaning better regulation correlated with less self-injury.
02Social communication showed a strong negative association with stereotypic behaviors, meaning better communication correlated with less stereotypic behavior.
03There was no significant association between emotion regulation and stereotypic behaviors, nor between social communication and self-injurious behaviors.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot prove that poor emotion regulation causes self-injury or that poor communication causes stereotypic behaviors; it only shows they occur together. All data came from professional ratings, not direct observation or patient self-report, which may introduce bias based on the raters' perceptions. The sample included both individuals with and without intellectual disability, but these groups were analyzed together, potentially masking differences specific to each subgroup. The measures were completed by staff with daily contact, but the validity of these professional observations compared to family reports was not assessed.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Universidad de Alicante. No other conflicts of interest were reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that improving a patient's social communication will reduce their self-injurious behavior, or that improving emotion regulation will reduce their stereotypic behaviors. The study found these effects were specific: communication linked only to stereotypies, and regulation linked only to self-injury.