The
present study examines discrepancies between self- and
adult-perceptions of social competence in children with attention
deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorders (ASD)
and possible co-morbid disruptive behaviour disorders (DBD).

Self-reported
questionnaires were collected from multiple informants at the baseline
of a multi-systemic family intervention programme for children (aged
5–12) with ADHD, ASD and possible co-morbid DBD. In total, out of the
154 families eligible for the study, information was received concerning
children from 124 families (children n = 121; mothers n = 117; fathers n = 86; teachers n 
= 97). In addition to this, a comparison community sample of 318
school-aged children (approximately 10 years old) was utilized to
examine the perceptions of children's social competence across
intervention and population groups in more detail.

Children's
self-perceptions in the prosocial dimension of social competence (i.e.
cooperating skills, empathy) did not differ between the intervention and
comparison groups. Interestingly, the children in the intervention
sample expressed more impulsivity and disruptiveness – the antisocial
dimension of social competence – when compared with the children in the
comparison sample. Adult ratings demonstrated that mothers, fathers and
teachers reported decreased prosocial behaviour and increased antisocial
behaviour across overall dimensions and sub-dimensions when compared
with adults' ratings of elementary school children. Informant
discrepancies between self-ratings and adult ratings across intervention
groups yielded significant effect sizes (eta-squared) across all
domains of social competence ranging from .09 to .25.

Children's
positive self-ratings of social competence relative to adult ratings
increased within intervention sample when compared with population
sample. The intervention sample children appeared to acknowledge their
social competence deficits, yet self-perceptions were inflated relative
to adult ratings when focusing on peer relationship difficulties,
particularly, aggression to peers.