Brief report: cross-cultural evidence for the heterogeneity of the restricted, repetitive behaviours and interests domain of autism: a Greek study

J Autism Dev Disord. 2008 Mar;38(3):558-61. doi: 10.1007/s10803-007-0409-x. Epub 2007 Jul 24.

Abstract

Recent studies provide evidence that the Restricted, Repetitive Behaviours, and Interests (RRBI) domain of autism is heterogeneous, consisting of at least two factors: Insistence on Sameness (IS) and Repetitive Sensory and Motor Behaviours and Interests (RSMB) [Cuccaro et al. (Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 34, 3-7, 2003; Szatmari et al. (Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47, 582-590, 2006)]. The main objective of this study was to replicate this two-factor structure in an independent sample of 153 Greek individuals with a diagnosis of Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). Principal Component Analysis was used to analyze the data. Our findings confirmed the two-factor structure (accounting for 52% of the variance), providing evidence for the cross-cultural heterogeneity of the RRBI domain of autism and the clear distinction between IS and RSMB symptoms in individuals with PDD.

MeSH terms

  • Autistic Disorder / diagnosis
  • Autistic Disorder / ethnology*
  • Child
  • Communication Disorders / diagnosis
  • Communication Disorders / epidemiology
  • Cross-Cultural Comparison
  • Female
  • Genetic Heterogeneity
  • Greece
  • Humans
  • Interpersonal Relations
  • Interview, Psychological
  • Male
  • Phenotype
  • Stereotyped Behavior*