The United States, like many industrial nations, is rapidly diversifying, culturally and racially/ethnically (the global majority). If current trends continue, the number of non-Hispanic White individuals in the United States is expected to decrease drastically as proportions of minoritized individuals increase (Vespa et al., 2021). Because of these changing demographics, treatment providers need to be equipped to work with clients from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. In this chapter, we discuss how working with the parents of children who are aggressive can be clinically and socially responsive to issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion.
THE NEED FOR CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TREATMENT SERVICESChildren whose families have been systemically minoritized are at greater risk for developing problem behavior than children from non-Hispanic White families (Flink et al., 2012). Research has shown that Black/African This chapter was written with Harlee Onovbiona.
As many as half of all autistic youth face challenges with aggression. And while research in this area is growing, the prevalence and characterization of aggressive behaviors across autistic development remains poorly understood. This lack of knowledge on the autistic experience is further clouded as aggression is rarely compared against non‐autistic youth samples. To address this gap in the literature, the present study compared autistic children (N = 450) to non‐autistic children (N = 432) on multiple caregiver‐report measures of aggressive behavior and associated constructs (i.e., anger, disruptive behavior) across key developmental periods (<6, 6–12, 13–17 years) via a cross‐sectional design. Outcomes indicated higher levels of verbal aggression and behavioral intensity for autistic youth across development. Further, autistic children under age 6 had more significant levels of physical aggression than non‐autistic peers; however, these levels became equal to non‐autistic peers as the youths aged. Implications for differences in the presence of aggressive behavior as well as possible treatment options for aggression are discussed.
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