Exploring the impact of multidisciplinary examination and family risk factors on diagnoses for children with MBID

Abstract

Background: Diagnosing children with mild and borderline intellectual disability (MIBD) and behavioral problems has proven difficult due to overlapping and transdiagnostic symptoms in different diagnoses. In addition, externalizing behaviors seem to be recorded more often because they are the most salient, causing internalizing and attachment problems to be overlooked. A multidisciplinary team that attends more to these risks may be possible; however, this care is expensive, and society favors supporting children in their natural environment. Potential family risk factors (FRF) may be causing the internalizing and attachment problems. Aims: This study looks at the difference in primary diagnoses before and after multidisciplinary examination (MDE) and whether these are explained by FRF. Methods and procedure: 131 casefiles of children with MIBD (n = 131) were analyzed quantitatively. In addition, test data from care workers, teachers, and parents (n= 322) were used to measure the difference in internalizing and externalizing behavior. Outcome and results: The results indicate a significant change in primary diagnose after MDE using a chisquare independence test. A change in the primary diagnosis after MDE was more frequent in attachment disorders. Using repeated measures ANOVA there was no difference found in internalizing behavior pre- and post MDE. However, a significant decrease in externalizing behavior was found. Boys show more externalizing behavior than girls did. Due to logistic regression is appeared that exposing children to conflict can increase the change of primary diagnosis. Gender also influence the change, possibly because boys are more likely to show externalizing problems.