Social anxiety occurs in 7% of the population and has a high rate of comorbidity with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The present study examined the relation between social anxiety and the theory...Show moreSocial anxiety occurs in 7% of the population and has a high rate of comorbidity with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The present study examined the relation between social anxiety and the theory of mind (TOM) in a population of children with and without ASD. This research hypothesized that children with a more developed TOM experience more social fear. Participants were 59 children (M= 11.7 years, SD=2.1 years) with an ASD and 86 children (M=10.6 years, SD=1.1 years) without an ASD. In total 145 participants made the Social Cognitive Skills Test for measurement of Theory of Mind and the Social Anxiety Scale for Children for the measurement of social anxiety. Contrary to the expected, children without ASD with a better developed TOM experience less social anxiety (r (85) = -.26, p <.05). No significant findings were observed between social anxiety, TOM and children with ASD (r (26) = -.18, p = .371). When controlling for age and gender, there are no differences between children with or without ASD on the TOM (F (1, 102) = 2.54, p = .11, η2 =.024). Overall, girls (M =130.6 en SD = 19.2) and children older than eleven years (M=132.6, SD=16.5) have a better developed TOM than boys and younger children. The results from this study can contribute to the knowledge for treatments that are effective for children with ASD, children in general and possibly for children with low-functioning autism in particular. Recommendations for future research are to research the differences between low-functioning and high-functioning autism in the relation between social anxiety and TOM.Show less
With a prevalence of 25% - 40%, sleep disturbances are a common problem among youths. Research in adolescents and adults shows correlation between sleep problems and chronotype(individual...Show moreWith a prevalence of 25% - 40%, sleep disturbances are a common problem among youths. Research in adolescents and adults shows correlation between sleep problems and chronotype(individual differences in circadian phase preference, e.g. eveningness), with more eveningness relating to higher reports of sleep problems. However, less is known about this relationship in children. This study investigates the association between children’s chronotype(morning, intermediate, evening type) and sleep duration as well as sleep disturbances as reported by parents. Data has been collected in 9 to 12 year old children (n = 98) using the Children’s Chronotype Questionnaire (CCTQ), the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) and a 7-nights sleep diary. The analyses show that evening types (n = 15, M = 47.47) have significant more sleep problems than intermediate (n= 27, M = 39.11), p = .003 or morning types (n = 27, M = 35.70), p < .01. To be more specific, evening types have more problems with initiating and maintaining sleep (p < .01) and more excessive daytime somnolence (p < .01). No significant difference has been found between chronotypes in sleep duration. The main conclusion is that evening types among children have a higher risk of sleep problems, although sleep duration is similar to that in other chronotypes. This knowledge confirms the important role of chronotype and implicates that more focus on the characteristics of chronotypes is necessary in the clinical field.Show less
