scholarly journals A discrepancy between processing speed and verbal ability in gifted youth is genetically and diagnostically associated with autism

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jake J Michaelson ◽  
Alissa F Doobay ◽  
Lucas Casten ◽  
Megan Foley-Nicpon ◽  
Thomas Nickl-Jockschat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Verbal Ability ◽  
Prognostic Indicator ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral ◽  
Autism Diagnosis ◽  
Twice Exceptional ◽  
High Cognitive Ability ◽  
Clinical Records

Background: High cognitive ability is an almost universally positive prognostic indicator in the context of neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric, and neurodegenerative conditions. However, "twice-exceptional" individuals, those who demonstrate high cognitive ability (gifted) and also exhibit profound cognitive, behavioral, and mental health challenges, are a striking exception to this rule. Methods: We digitized the clinical records of N=1,074 clients from a US-based specialty clinic serving gifted students. This included a broad array of diagnostic, cognitive, achievement, and behavioral data, including self, teacher, and parent reported items. We conducted both hypothesis-driven and unsupervised learning analyses to 1) identify characteristics whose association with full-scale IQ (FSIQ) was dependent on autism diagnosis and 2) identify cognitive archetypes associated with autism diagnosis and related behaviors. We tested the generalization of our findings using data from the ABCD study (N=10,602). Results: Self-reported sense of inadequacy was most strongly associated with increasing FSIQ specifically among autistic clients (beta=0.3, 95% CI:[0.15,0.45], p=7.1x10 -5 ). Similarly, self, parent, and teacher reports of anxiety increased with FSIQ (all p<0.05) in autistic individuals, in striking opposition to the ameliorating effect of FSIQ seen in non-autistic individuals. We uncovered a pattern of decreased processing speed (PS) coupled with very high verbal comprehension (VC), a PS/VC discrepancy, that was associated with autism, attention, and internalizing problems. These cognitive- behavioral links were also observed in the ABCD study. Finally, we found a significant association between the PS/VC discrepancy and polygenic risk for autism in the ABCD sample (t=2.9, p=0.004). Conclusions: Our results suggest that highly elevated IQ with a significant PS/VC discrepancy is a clinically and genetically meaningful biotype linked to autism.

Serum cholesterol and cognitive functions: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 439-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janie Corley ◽  
John M. Starr ◽  
Ian J. Deary
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Birth Cohort ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Serum Cholesterol ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Verbal Ability ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Lothian Birth Cohort ◽  
Statin Use

ABSTRACTBackground:We examined the associations between serum cholesterol measures, statin use, and cognitive function measured in childhood and in old age. The possibility that lifelong (trait) cognitive ability accounts for any cross-sectional associations between cholesterol and cognitive performance in older age, seen in observational studies, has not been tested to date.Methods:Participants were 1,043 men and women from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 Study, most of whom had participated in a nationwide IQ-type test in childhood (Scottish Mental Survey of 1947), and were followed up at about age 70 years. Serum cholesterol measures included total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides, and cholesterol:HDL cholesterol ratio. Cognitive outcome measures were age 70 IQ (using the same test as at age 11 years), general cognitive ability (g), processing speed, memory, and verbal ability.Results:Higher TC, higher HDL-C, and lower triglycerides were associated with higher age 70 cognitive scores in most cognitive domains. These relationships were no longer significant after covarying for childhood IQ, with the exception a markedly attenuated association between TC and processing speed, and triglycerides and age 70 IQ. In the fully adjusted model, all conventionally significant (p < 0.05) effects were removed. Childhood IQ predicted statin use in old age. Statin users had lower g, processing speed, and verbal ability scores at age 70 years after covarying for childhood IQ, but significance was lost after adjusting for TC levels.Conclusions:These results suggest that serum cholesterol and cognitive function are associated in older age via the lifelong stable trait of intelligence. Potential mechanisms, including lifestyle factors, are discussed.

Developmental milestones as early warning indicators of twice-exceptionality

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon C LeBeau ◽  
Katherine Schabilion ◽  
Susan G Assouline ◽  
Megan Foley-Nicpon ◽  
Alissa F Doobay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Clinical Sample ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Developmental Milestones ◽  
Twice Exceptional ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Specific Learning Disorder ◽  
Study Results ◽  
High Cognitive Ability

<p>Twice-exceptional individuals are those that have high cognitive ability in one or more areas, but also have a diagnosed disability. The needs of these individuals likely differ from those with high cognitive ability without a disability and those who solely have a disability. Intervening early can offer exceptional benefits for twice-exceptional individuals, but this has proved challenging due to the high cognitive abilities masking disabilities. This study explores if parent-reported developmental milestones can predict the number of disabilities diagnosed for an individual, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Specific Learning Disorder (SLD). Using a clinical sample of about 1,300 individuals, we used a Bayesian cumulative logistic model to explore if developmental milestones are able to predict the number of diagnoses after controlling for IQ and age. Study results show that when an individual began to count and read informed predictions for the number of future diagnoses in the clinical sample. Implications for future study and practitioners are discussed in further detail.</p>

The Longitudinal Relationship between Processing Speed and Cognitive Ability: Genetic and Environmental Influences

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 535-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Finkel ◽  
Chandra A. Reynolds ◽  
John J. McArdle ◽  
Nancy L. Pedersen
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Environmental Influences

scholarly journals Longitudinal Associations Between Loneliness and Cognitive Ability in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (8) ◽  
pp. 1376-1386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith A Okely ◽  
Ian J Deary
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Birth Cohort ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Birth Cohort Study ◽  
Visuospatial Ability ◽  
Lothian Birth Cohort ◽  
Longitudinal Associations ◽  
Reciprocal Associations

Abstract Objectives Loneliness is associated with poorer cognitive function in old age; however, the direction of this association is unknown. We tested for reciprocal associations between loneliness and the cognitive ability domains of processing speed, visuospatial ability, verbal memory, and crystallized ability. Method We used three triennial waves of longitudinal data from the Lothian Birth Cohort Study 1936, and tested for cross-lagged associations between loneliness and cognitive abilities using cross-lagged panel models. Results Better processing speed, visuospatial ability, or crystallized ability at age 73, was associated with less positive changes in loneliness between ages 73 and 76; however, these associations were not replicated between ages 76 and 79. Loneliness at ages 73 and 76 did not predict subsequent changes in cognitive abilities. Discussion Our findings indicate an association between cognitive ability and loneliness, such that individuals with lower cognitive abilities at age 73 may be at a slightly higher risk of becoming lonely. However, we did not find support for the hypothesis that loneliness causes a decline in cognitive health.

scholarly journals Peer Effects on Engagement and Disengagement: Differential Contributions From Friends, Popular Peers, and the Entire Class

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Steenberghs ◽  
Jeroen Lavrijsen ◽  
Bart Soenens ◽  
Karine Verschueren
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Peer Effects ◽  
School Engagement ◽  
School Success ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Emotional Engagement ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
The Social ◽  
High Cognitive Ability ◽  
Engagement And Disengagement

School engagement and disengagement are important predictors of school success that are grounded in the social context of the classroom. This study used multilevel analysis to examine the contributions of the descriptive norms of friends, popular students and classmates regarding engagement and disengagement to the development of Students’ own behavioral and emotional engagement and disengagement among Flemish 7th-graders (N = 3,409). Moderating effects of Students’ self-esteem and cognitive ability were examined. The results showed effects from friends’ and classmates’ (dis)engagement on all dimensions of (dis)engagement. Popular Students’ engagement only affected individual Student’s behavioral disengagement and emotional engagement. Self-esteem and high cognitive ability did not make students more or less susceptible to peer effects.

Counseling Students Who Are Gifted

2016 ◽  
pp. 103-117
Author(s):  
Emily S. Fisher ◽  
Kelly S. Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Career Counseling ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Counseling Students ◽  
Vulnerable Population ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral ◽  
Emotional Needs ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Solution Focused Brief Therapy ◽  
Solution Focused

This chapter reviews strategies for working with students who are gifted. It stresses that gifted students can be a vulnerable population because, without proper academic, social, and emotional support, they may not reach high levels of achievement and recognize their potential in school and beyond. Also, because gifted students’ social and emotional needs are often unrecognized and unmet, it is important for counselors to familiarize themselves with the characteristics associated with giftedness. The chapter describes the types of challenges that may be faced by gifted students, including perfectionism, underachievement, motivation, and multipotentiality. It also suggests counseling strategies to address these concerns such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, solution-focused brief therapy, career counseling, and group counseling.

scholarly journals Bullying and the Unique Experiences of Twice Exceptional Learners: Student Perspective Narratives

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Ronksley-Pavia ◽  
Peter Grootenboer ◽  
Donna Pendergast
Keyword(s):  
Gifted Students ◽  
Student Perspective ◽  
Exceptional Children ◽  
Twice Exceptional ◽  
Social Settings ◽  
Being Bullied ◽  
Recommendations For Practice ◽  
Bullying Experiences ◽  
Emotional Effects ◽  
Exceptional Learners

Bullying is known to be prevalent across social settings for children, particularly, for those who have disability and intermittently gifted students. What remains relatively underresearched is the phenomenon of bullying in the lives of twice-exceptional children. This article presents findings about the bullying experiences of eight twice-exceptional children aged 9 to 16 years from a study that explored the lived experiences of these children. Their narratives describe the pervasiveness of bullying. The six themes which emerged from the data about bullying experiences were (a) bullying by peers, (b) bullying by teachers, (c) teachers’ and adults’ responses to bullying, (d) social isolation and bullying, (e) the emotional effects of being bullied, and (f) protective factors. The contribution to the field of twice-exceptionality along with the children’s experiences and consequences of being bullied are discussed. This article concludes with recommendations for practice and further research.

Finding Hidden Potential

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward R. Amend
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Special Needs ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Special Education Students ◽  
Comprehensive Assessment ◽  
Gifted Student ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Twice Exceptional ◽  
Individual Education

The talents of twice exceptional (2e) students are often hidden beneath the frustration and pain caused by years of educational misplacement. Finding and identifying them as gifted, in addition to recognizing disabilities and areas needing support, is a challenge. Identifying a gifted student with a disability requires comprehensive assessment with diverse tools that allow the examiner to see both strengths and weaknesses of an individual. Education and experience working with gifted students and special education students is invaluable in understanding the special needs of the 2e population and the unique ways they respond to assessment. With comprehensive assessment by qualified clinicians, more 2e kids will be accurately evaluated, identified, and served.

Multiple Switching and Data Quality in the Multiple Price List

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Chi Wai Yu ◽  
Y. Jane Zhang ◽  
Sharon Xuejing Zuo
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Data Quality ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Risky Choice ◽  
Switching Behavior ◽  
Price List ◽  
High Cognitive Ability ◽  
Multiple Switching ◽  
Quality Decision

A substantial proportion of individuals who complete the widely used multiple price list (MPL) instrument switch back and forth between the safe and the risky choice columns, behavior that is believed to indicate lowquality decision making. We develop a conceptual framework to formally define decision-making quality, test explanations for the nature of low-quality decision making, and introduce a novel “nudge” treatment that reduced multiple switching behavior and increased decision-making quality. We find evidence in support of task-specific miscomprehension of the MPL and that nonmultiple switchers and relatively high-cognitive-ability individuals are not immune to low-quality decision making.

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