المشكلات السلوكية لأطفال اضطراب التوحد في المملكة العربية السعودية في ضوء بعض المتغيرات الديموغرافية من وجهة نظر الطلبة المتدربين
The study aimed to detect the common behavioral problems of autistic children in lights of some variables: gender, age, place of study, and the severity of disability from Saudi student-teacher trainee's perspectives. The study samples consisted of (65) males and (54) females who attend schools and special education institutions in Jeddah and Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The sample included mild, moderate, and severe disability and were divided into three aged groups (3-5), (6-8) and (9- 12) years. A scale of (32) paragraphs included the common behaviors of autism were divided into five dimensions: social interaction, communication, aggression, restricted and repetitive behavior, and emotion. The results yielded that one behavioral problem, at least, appear in children with autism in all dimensions. Also, the most commonly problem was the difficulty in speaking when he/she wanted something with a mean 2.14 and the self-harming was least with a mean 1.42. There were no significant differences due to gender, age or place of study in the prevalence of behavioral problems. The results of the study also showed significant differences due to the degree of disability in favor of severe disability in all dimensions. (Published abstract)