scholarly journals Impairments in cognitive empathy and alexithymia occur independently of executive functioning in college students with autism

Autism ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1519-1530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Ziermans ◽  
Ymke de Bruijn ◽  
Renee Dijkhuis ◽  
Wouter Staal ◽  
Hanna Swaab
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Adults With Autism ◽  
Students With Autism ◽  
The Difference

Reduced empathy and alexithymic traits are common across the autism spectrum, but it is unknown whether this is also true for intellectually advanced adults with autism spectrum disorder. The aim of this study was to examine whether college students with autism spectrum disorder experience difficulties with empathy and alexithymia, and whether this is associated with their cognitive levels of executive functioning. In total, 53 college students with autism spectrum disorder were compared to a gender-matched group of 29 neurotypical students on cognitive and affective dimensions of empathy and alexithymia. In addition, cognitive performance on executive functioning was measured with computerized and paper-and-pencil tasks. The autism spectrum disorder group scored significantly lower on cognitive empathy and higher on cognitive alexithymia (both d = 0.65). The difference on cognitive empathy also remained significant after controlling for levels of cognitive alexithymia. There were no group differences on affective empathy and alexithymia. No significant relations between executive functioning and cognitive alexithymia or cognitive empathy were detected. Together, these findings suggest that intellectually advanced individuals with autism spectrum disorder experience serious impairments in the cognitive processing of social–emotional information. However, these impairments cannot be attributed to individual levels of cognitive executive functioning.

Accommodations and support services preferred by college students with autism spectrum disorder

Autism ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 574-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy L Accardo ◽  
S Jay Kuder ◽  
John Woodruff
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Counseling Services ◽  
Faculty Mentor ◽  
Sequential Mixed Methods ◽  
Academic Supports ◽  
Students With Autism

This 2-year study investigated the accommodations and support services preferred by college students with autism spectrum disorder using sequential mixed methods non-experimental survey and semi-structured follow-up interviews. Students with autism spectrum disorder reported using both academic and non-academic supports with frequency (e.g. extended time on exams, transition program), using academic supports in line with other disability populations, and using non-academic supports connecting them one-to-one with a faculty member or coach as preferred (e.g. academic coach, counselor, faculty mentor). Findings suggest a need for university disability service centers, counseling services, and faculty to work together to develop systematic support systems for college students with autism spectrum disorder.

Individual characteristics of students with autism spectrum disorders and school refusal behavior

Autism ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 413-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Kathrine Munkhaugen ◽  
Tonje Torske ◽  
Elen Gjevik ◽  
Terje Nærland ◽  
Are Hugo Pripp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
School Refusal ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽  
School Refusal Behavior ◽  
Students With Autism

This study compared social, executive, emotional, and behavioral characteristics of students with autism spectrum disorder who did and did not display school refusal behavior. The participants were 62 students with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability aged 9–16 years attending inclusive schools. Parents first completed questionnaires assessing social and executive functioning as well as emotional and behavioral problems. They then documented their child’s school refusal behavior for a period of 20 days. Compared to students without school refusal behavior (n = 29), students with school refusal behavior (n = 33) were significantly less socially motivated; displayed more deficits in initiating tasks or activities, in generating ideas, responses, or problem-solving strategies; and displayed more withdrawn and depressive symptoms. Assessing social and executive functioning, as well as emotional problems, may help professionals provide tailored interventions for students with autism spectrum disorder and school refusal behavior, which will further be valuable in recognizing characteristics associated with school refusal behavior.

scholarly journals Is verbal reference impaired in autism spectrum disorder? A systematic review

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 239694151876316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Malkin ◽  
Kirsten Abbot-Smith ◽  
David Williams
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Referential Communication ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Pragmatic Language ◽  
Adults With Autism ◽  
Search Terms

Background and aims Pragmatic language is a key difficulty in autism spectrum disorder. One such pragmatic skill is verbal reference, which allows the current entity of shared interest between speakers to be identified and thus enables fluid conversation. The aim of this review was to determine the extent to which studies have found that verbal reference is impaired in autism spectrum disorder. We organise the review in terms of the methodology used and the modality (production versus comprehension) in which proficiency with verbal reference was assessed. Evidence for the potential cognitive underpinnings of these skills is also reviewed. Main contribution and methods To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review of verbal reference in autism spectrum disorder. PsychINFO and Web of Science were systematically screened using the combination of search terms outlined in this paper. Twenty-four studies met our inclusion criteria. Twenty-two of these examined production, whereby the methodology ranged from elicited conversation through to elicited narrative, the ‘director’ task and other referential communication paradigms. Three studies examined reference interpretation. (One study investigated both production and appropriacy judgement). Four studies examined the relationship between appropriate usage of verbal reference and formal language (lexico-syntactic ability). Two studies investigated whether reference production related to Theory of Mind or Executive Functioning. Conclusion and implications Across a range of elicited production tasks, the predominant finding was that children and adults with autism spectrum disorder demonstrate a deficit in the production of appropriate verbal reference in comparison not only to typically developing groups, but also to groups with Developmental Language Disorder or Down syndrome. In contrast, the studies of reference interpretation which compared performance to typical control groups all found no between-group differences in this regard. To understand this cross-modality discrepancy, we need studies with the same sample of individuals, whereby the task requirements for comprehension and production are as closely matched as possible. The field also requires the development of experimental manipulations which allow us to pinpoint precisely if and how each comprehension and/or production task requires mentalising and/or various components of executive functioning. Only through such detailed and controlled experimental work would it be possible to determine the precise location of impairments in verbal reference in autism spectrum disorder. A better understanding of this would contribute to the development of interventions.

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