The Profile of Functional Emotional Development of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders from the Perspective of Developmental, Individual Differences(DIR), Relationship-based Approach

Introduction: Proponents of the behavioral model believe that children with autism in access to capabilities in achieving love, empathy, language and creative thinking, have significant fundamental defects. Instead model-based development of individual differences relationship offers a new approach in the etiology and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. Methods and Materials: This study is a descriptive survey with 40 children 4 to 6 years with ASD who were selected with available sampling of official training centers for autism in Mashhad-Iran, also, 40 normal children were selected as a comparison group. Data were analyzed with spss16 software. Results: Autistic children at the ability to regulate attention, attraction and interest in human relations; exchange of desires, intentions and thoughts with others, shaping ideas and the ability to think logically, have a lower mean and no significant difference was observed between the two groups (P < 0.05). There was a significant relationship between the frequency observed in autistic children and normal children at the functional domains of emotional development (P < 0.05). Also, 57.5% of autistic children were seriously deficient in the above capabilities and none of them were placed in the higher range; while 95% of normal children were in the range of moderate to high. Conclusion: Autistic children in the early stages of functional emotional development had serious defects and the difference, increased a the higher levels of development. This can be verified the evolution of language development and logical thinking and knowledge of the subject, can be effective in the early detection and treatment of this disorder.