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Predictors of adaptive functioning in preschool aged children with autism spectrum disorder
- Source :
- Autism Research. 14:1444-1455
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Wiley, 2021.
-
Abstract
- Difficulties in adaptive functioning are common in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and contribute to negative outcomes across the lifespan. Research indicates that cognitive ability is related to degree of adaptive functioning impairments, particularly in young children with ASD. However, the extent to which other factors, such as socioeconomic status (SES) and ASD symptom severity, predict impairments in adaptive functioning remains unclear. The goal of this study was to determine the extent to which SES, ASD symptom severity, and cognitive ability contribute to variability in domain-specific and global components of adaptive functioning in preschool-aged children with ASD. Participants were 99 preschool-aged children (2-6 years) with ASD who attended a tertiary diagnostic service. Results demonstrate that cognitive ability accounted for a significant proportion of variance in domain-specific and global components of adaptive functioning, with higher cognitive ability predicting better adaptive functioning. Results also demonstrate that SES accounted for some variability in domain-specific communication skills and global adaptive functioning when compared to basic demographic factors alone (age and gender). By contrast, ASD symptom severity did not predict variability in domain-specific or global components of adaptive functioning. These findings provide support for a relationship between cognitive ability and adaptive functioning in preschool-aged children with ASD and help to explain specific contributions of verbal and nonverbal ability to adaptive functioning; from this, we can better understand which children are likely to show the greatest degree of impairments across components of adaptive functioning early in development. LAY SUMMARY: People with autism often have difficulties with everyday communication, daily living, and social skills, which are also called adaptive functioning skills. This study investigated factors that might be related to these difficulties in preschoolers with autism. We found that better cognitive ability, but not autism symptoms, were associated with better adaptive functioning. This suggests that interventions for young children with autism should take into account cognitive ability to better understand which children are likely to have difficulties with adaptive functioning.
- Subjects :
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
Psychological intervention
behavioral disciplines and activities
Adaptive functioning
Developmental psychology
Social Skills
03 medical and health sciences
Nonverbal communication
Cognition
0302 clinical medicine
Social skills
mental disorders
medicine
Humans
0501 psychology and cognitive sciences
Autistic Disorder
Child
Socioeconomic status
Genetics (clinical)
Motivation
General Neuroscience
05 social sciences
medicine.disease
Autism spectrum disorder
Child, Preschool
Autism
Neurology (clinical)
Psychology
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
050104 developmental & child psychology
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 19393806 and 19393792
- Volume :
- 14
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Autism Research
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....4a419c1062cc84775a3c2e3c2df22725