TY - JOUR
T1 - Investigating the factors underlying adaptive functioning in autism in the EU-AIMS Longitudinal European Autism Project
AU - Tillmann, Julian
AU - San José Cáceres, Antonia
AU - Chatham, Chris H.
AU - Crawley, Daisy
AU - Holt, Rosemary
AU - Oakley, Bethany
AU - Banaschewski, Tobias
AU - Baron-Cohen, Simon
AU - Bölte, Sven
AU - Buitelaar, Jan K.
AU - Durston, Sarah
AU - Ham, Lindsay
AU - Loth, Eva
AU - Simonoff, Emily
AU - Spooren, Will
AU - Murphy, Declan G.
AU - Charman, Tony
AU - the EU-AIMS LEAP group
AU - Oldehinkel, Marianne
PY - 2019/4
Y1 - 2019/4
N2 - Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit significant impairments in adaptive functioning that impact on their ability to meet the demands of everyday life. A recurrent finding is that there is a pronounced discrepancy between level of cognitive ability and adaptive functioning, and this is particularly prominent among higher-ability individuals. However, the key clinical and demographic associations of these discrepancies remain unclear. This study included a sample of 417 children, adolescents, and adults with ASD as part of the EU-AIMS LEAP cohort. We examined how age, sex, IQ, levels of ASD symptom and autistic trait severity and psychiatric symptomatology are associated with adaptive functioning as measured by the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-Second Edition and IQ-adaptive functioning discrepancies. Older age, lower IQ and higher social-communication symptoms were associated with lower adaptive functioning. Results also demonstrate that older age, higher IQ and higher social-communication symptoms are associated with greater IQ-adaptive functioning discrepancy scores. By contrast, sensory ASD symptoms, repetitive and restricted behaviors, as well as symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety and depression, were not associated with adaptive functioning or IQ-adaptive functioning discrepancy scores. These findings suggest that it is the core social communication problems that define ASD that contribute to adaptive function impairments that people with ASD experience. They show for the first time that sensory symptoms, repetitive behavior and associated psychiatric symptoms do not independently contribute to adaptive function impairments. Individuals with ASD require supportive interventions across the lifespan that take account of social-communicative ASD symptom severity. Autism Res 2019, 00: 1–13.
AB - Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit significant impairments in adaptive functioning that impact on their ability to meet the demands of everyday life. A recurrent finding is that there is a pronounced discrepancy between level of cognitive ability and adaptive functioning, and this is particularly prominent among higher-ability individuals. However, the key clinical and demographic associations of these discrepancies remain unclear. This study included a sample of 417 children, adolescents, and adults with ASD as part of the EU-AIMS LEAP cohort. We examined how age, sex, IQ, levels of ASD symptom and autistic trait severity and psychiatric symptomatology are associated with adaptive functioning as measured by the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-Second Edition and IQ-adaptive functioning discrepancies. Older age, lower IQ and higher social-communication symptoms were associated with lower adaptive functioning. Results also demonstrate that older age, higher IQ and higher social-communication symptoms are associated with greater IQ-adaptive functioning discrepancy scores. By contrast, sensory ASD symptoms, repetitive and restricted behaviors, as well as symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety and depression, were not associated with adaptive functioning or IQ-adaptive functioning discrepancy scores. These findings suggest that it is the core social communication problems that define ASD that contribute to adaptive function impairments that people with ASD experience. They show for the first time that sensory symptoms, repetitive behavior and associated psychiatric symptoms do not independently contribute to adaptive function impairments. Individuals with ASD require supportive interventions across the lifespan that take account of social-communicative ASD symptom severity. Autism Res 2019, 00: 1–13.
KW - adaptive functioning
KW - autism spectrum disorder
KW - intellectual functioning
KW - psychiatric symptoms
KW - symptom severity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85061456887&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/aur.2081
DO - 10.1002/aur.2081
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85061456887
SN - 1939-3806
VL - 12
SP - 645
EP - 657
JO - Autism Research
JF - Autism Research
IS - 4
ER -