An examination of the relationship between autism spectrum disorder, intellectual functioning, and social skills in children

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are the focus of a vast amount of research due to their recent rise in prevalence. Nonetheless, there is a dearth of research looking at how ASD and IQ scores impact social skills. The present study aimed to extend the literature in this area by evaluating how ASD and IQ scores are related to ratings on a measure of appropriate and inappropriate social skills. Two groups of individuals participated: children without ASD and children with ASD. Two dependent measures of social skills (adaptive/appropriate social skills and hostile/inappropriately assertive social skills) were obtained using the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills for Youngsters-II (MESSY-II). Correlational and multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the interrelationships between the variables. ASD diagnosis significantly predicted both adaptive/appropriate and hostile/inappropriate social skills. It was negatively and significantly correlated with adaptive/appropriate social skills, indicating that children with ASD tended to have lower scores on the measure of adaptive/appropriate social skills. ASD diagnosis was also positively and significantly correlated with hostile/inappropriate social skills, indicating that children with ASD tended to have higher scores on the measure of hostile/inappropriate social skills. IQ scores were positively and significantly correlated with adaptive/appropriate social skills, indicating that children with higher IQ scores tended to have higher scores on the measure of adaptive/appropriate social skills. The implications of these findings in the context of other research on IQ, ASD, and social skills in children are discussed

Construct Validity of the Autism Spectrum Disorders-Child Version (ASD-C) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)

Previous researchers have demonstrated that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is related to increased prevalence of other psychological disorders. Comorbid disorders increase the difficulties in socialization and communication already experienced by children with ASD. These symptoms often require additional intervention techniques and should be identified as early as possible to beget the best prognosis. The Autism Spectrum Disorders – Child Version (ASD-C) is an informant based assessment battery specifically designed to measure symptoms of ASD, comorbid disorders, and challenging behavior in children with ASD. The reliability and validity of this assessment has been established in previous studies, but there is no research to date that compares the measure to the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to establish construct validity of both measures. Participants in the current study included 114 children classified into three categories: ASD (n=14), psychopathology (n=71), and controls (n=29). Parents completed the ASD-C and CBCL as part of comprehensive psychological evaluations. Following a content analysis assessing correlations between items on the two measures, a Multitrait-Multimethod Matrix was constructed to assess convergent and divergent validity. All subscales and composites from both measures demonstrated convergence. Additionally, receiving operator characteristic (ROC) curves were utilized to examine the diagnostic validity of the two measures for ASD, Anxiety Disorder, ADHD, and ODD. Both measures demonstrated diagnostic utility for clinicians to screen for psychopathology in children with and without ASD. Time and cost effective parent report measures would fill a gap in the provision of mental health services to low SES children and their families

Autism and exergaming: effects on repetitive behaviors and cognition

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that leads to impairment in social skills and delay in language development, and results in repetitive behaviors and restricted interests that impede academic and social involvement. Physical exercise has been shown to decrease repetitive behaviors in autistic children and improve cognitive function across the life-span. Exergaming combines physical and mental exercise simultaneously by linking physical activity movements to video game control and may yield better compliance with exercise. In this investigation, two pilot studies explored the potential behavioral and cognitive benefits of exergaming. In Pilot I, twelve children with autism spectrum disorders completed a control task and an acute bout of Dance Dance Revolution (DDR); in Pilot II, ten additional youths completed an acute bout of cyber cycling. Repetitive behaviors and executive function were measured before and after each activity. Repetitive behaviors significantly decreased, while performance on Digits Backwards improved following the exergaming conditions compared with the control condition. Additional research is needed to replicate these findings, and to explore the application of exergaming for the management of behavioral disturbance and to increase cognitive control in children on the autism spectrum

Exergaming and autism : effects on self-stimulatory behaviors and cognition

Aerobic exercise has been shown to decrease repetitive behaviors in autistic children. Additionally, research has shown significant effects of aerobic exercise on cognitive function across the life-span. Exergames combine physical and mental exercise by integrating interactive videogaming components. This experimental study explored the potential benefits of a single bout of exergaming using Dance Dance Revolution, as well as the impact of the component parts of exergaming (mental vs. physical exercise). It was hypothesized that repetitive behaviors would decline and executive controls would increase. Participants with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions lasting 30 minutes (exergaming with DDR, exercise with a dance video, or watching a video). Participants\u27 interactions with the principal investigator were videotaped pre and post-intervention. Videotapes were coded for repetitive behaviors using an operationalization of the GARS-2. A brief neuropsychological battery assessing executive function was also administrated. No significant interactions between intervention type and changes on the measures of executive function and behavior were found. The difficulty level of DDR in the context of a single bout of exercise may have frustrated participants, thus decreasing the effectiveness of the intervention. Future research should look at the effectiveness of simpler exergames or utilize a training period before evaluation of effects

The Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF): current status as a method of functional assessment

Functional assessment has now entered the mainstream for evaluation and to aid in the treatment of challenging behaviors, while experimental functional analysis was at the forefront of this movement, this particular methodology has proven to be impractical, and thus has limited utility in real world settings. As a result of these factors standardized test have become a popular alternative for making a functional assessment. The most extensively studied of these scales to date is the Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF). This paper reviews the available research on this scale, its current status, and future directions

ADHD symptom prevalence and risk factors in a sample of toddlers with ASD or who are at risk for developmental delay

Individuals with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience difficulties with inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity which significantly interfere with their daily functioning. Symptoms of the disorder occur in children, but the developmental trajectory of ADHD symptoms is not known. The present study examines the prevalence of ADHD symptomology in a sample of 2956 children who were determined to be at risk for developmental delay. Prevalence rates for ADHD in the overall sample was 4.50%, and prevalence rates by gender, race, and presence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were comparable. The prevalence was not significantly different in children with an ASD diagnosis. No significant effects of gender or ASD diagnosis were observed. ADHD should be considered as a diagnosis among young children who present to clinics for children at risk for developmental delay, and future researchers should further study its developmental trajectory, beginning at an early age

The relationship of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder to adaptive skills in young children

OBJECTIVE: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been linked to deficits in socialization and communication, similar to those observed in children with ASD. In the present study, we examine the differences in developmental quotient and subscale scores between children with ASD and children with ADHD. METHODS: We compared the developmental scores in a sample of 2990 children who presented to an early intervention program, who met criteria for ASD, inattentive ADHD, hyperactive/impulsive ADHD, combined ASD/ADHD, or are at risk for developmental disorders. RESULTS: The overall developmental quotient did not significantly differ between those in the ADHD inattentive and hyperactive subtype groups. Adaptive skills differed most greatly between the ASD groups and the ADHD/atypically-developing groups. CONCLUSION: The present study represents a first step towards understanding the relationship of ADHD to ASD in early childhood. Young children with ASD symptoms are more greatly impaired than those with symptoms of ADHD