scholarly journals Associations among autistic traits, cognitive and affective empathy, and personality in adults with autism spectrum disorder and no intellectual disability or language delay

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukihiko Shirayama ◽  
Kazuki Matsumoto ◽  
Sayo Hamatani ◽  
Katsumasa Muneoka ◽  
Akihiro Okada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Language Delay ◽  
Affective Empathy ◽  
Online Simulation

Abstract Background: Reported empathy deficits in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) could be attributable to other ASD-related features. Method: We evaluated 28 adults with ASD and no intellectual disability or language delay and 24 age-matched healthy control subjects using the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE), Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), and NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO-PI-R). Results: Compared to the controls, ASD participants showed lower scores for perspective taking, online simulation, cognitive empathy, and peripheral responsivity on the QCAE, and lower scores for perspective taking and empathic concern on the IRI. Within the ASD group, the AQ scores showed significant relationships with perspective taking, online simulation and cognitive empathy on the QCAE, and perspective taking on the IRI. Only within the ASD group, significant correlations were revealed between personal distress on the IRI with emotional contagion, proximal responsivity, and affective empathy on the QCAE. The ASD group also showed higher scores for neuroticism and lower scores for extraversion on the NEO-PI-R compared to the controls. However, there were no relationships between AQ scores and NEO factors within the ASD group. There were significant correlations of online simulation and affective empathy on the QCAE with extraversion on the NEO-PI-R only within the ASD group. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that perspective taking score on the QCAE and extraversion score on the NEO-PI-R were good predictor variables to autistic traits on the AQ. Conclusions: These findings help our understanding of ASD adults with no intellectual disability or language delay.

scholarly journals Camouflaging in autism spectrum disorder: Examining the roles of sex, gender identity, and diagnostic timing

Autism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 136236132110421
Author(s):  
Goldie A McQuaid ◽  
Nancy Raitano Lee ◽  
Gregory L Wallace
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Gender Diverse ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Main Effects

Camouflaging in autism spectrum disorder could be a factor in later diagnosis of individuals without co-occurring intellectual disability, particularly among those designated female sex at birth. Little research to date has examined how gender identity impacts camouflaging, however. Further, no study has compared groups that differ in diagnostic timing to directly investigate if later-diagnosed individuals demonstrate elevated camouflaging relative to those receiving an earlier diagnosis. Using the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire subscales (Assimilation, Compensation, and Masking), we investigated the roles of sex, gender identity (gender diverse vs cisgender), and diagnostic timing (childhood/adolescent-diagnosed vs adult-diagnosed), and the interactions of these factors, in autistic adults ( N = 502; age 18–49 years). Main effects of sex, gender identity, and diagnostic timing were revealed. Autistic females reported more camouflaging across Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire subscales compared to males. Gender diverse adults reported elevated camouflaging on the Compensation subscale compared to cisgender adults. Adulthood-diagnosed individuals reported elevated Assimilation and Compensation compared to childhood/adolescence-diagnosed individuals. We discuss how aspects of camouflaging may have particular implications for later diagnostic timing and for the intersection of neurodiversity and gender diversity. Lay abstract Camouflaging in autism spectrum disorder refers to behaviors and/or strategies that mask the presentation of autism spectrum disorder features in social contexts in order to appear “non-autistic” (Attwood, 2007). Camouflaging modifies the behavioral presentation of core autism spectrum disorder features (e.g. social and communication differences), but the underlying autistic profile is unaffected, yielding a mismatch between external observable features and the internal lived experience of autism. Camouflaging could be an important factor in later diagnosis of individuals without co-occurring intellectual disability, especially among those designated female sex at birth. Little research to date has examined how gender identity impacts camouflaging, however. Furthermore, no study has compared groups that differ in diagnostic timing to directly investigate if later-diagnosed individuals show elevated camouflaging relative to those receiving an earlier diagnosis. We used the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire subscales (Assimilation, Compensation, and Masking) and investigated the roles of sex, gender identity (gender diverse vs cisgender), and diagnostic timing (childhood/adolescent-diagnosed vs adult-diagnosed), and the interactions of these factors, in autistic adults ( N = 502; ages 18–49 years). Main effects of sex, gender identity, and diagnostic timing were revealed. Autistic females reported more camouflaging across all three Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire subscales compared to males. Gender diverse adults reported elevated camouflaging on the Compensation subscale compared to cisgender adults. Adulthood-diagnosed individuals reported elevated Assimilation and Compensation compared to childhood/adolescence-diagnosed individuals. We discuss how the aspects of camouflaging may have unique implications for later diagnostic timing and for the intersection of neurodiversity and gender diversity.

scholarly journals Camouflaging in autism spectrum disorder: Examining the roles of sex, gender identity and diagnostic timing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goldie McQuaid ◽  
Nancy Raitano Lee ◽  
Gregory Wallace
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Gender Diverse ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Main Effects

Camouflaging in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) could be a factor in later diagnosis of individuals without co-occurring intellectual disability, particularly among those assigned female sex at birth. Little research to date has examined how gender identity impacts camouflaging, however. Further, no study has compared groups that differ in diagnostic-timing to directly investigate if later-diagnosed individuals demonstrate elevated camouflaging relative to those receiving an earlier diagnosis. Using the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q) subscales (Assimilation, Compensation, and Masking), we investigated the roles of sex, gender identity (gender diverse vs. cisgender), and diagnostic timing (childhood/adolescent-diagnosed vs. adult-diagnosed), and the interactions of these factors, in ASD adults (N=502; ages 18-49 years). Main effects of sex, gender identity, and diagnostic-timing were revealed. ASD females reported more camouflaging across CAT-Q subscales compared to males. Gender diverse adults reported elevated camouflaging on the Compensation subscale compared to cisgender adults. Adulthood-diagnosed individuals reported elevated Assimilation and Compensation compared to childhood/adolescence-diagnosed individuals. We discuss how the ‘performative’ aspects of camouflaging probed in the Assimilation and Compensation subscales may have particular implications for the intersection of neurodiversity and gender diversity, and for later diagnostic timing.

scholarly journals Dysfunctions in Infants’ Statistical Learning are Related to Parental Autistic Traits

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bettoni Roberta ◽  
Valentina Riva ◽  
Chiara Cantiani ◽  
Elena Maria Riboldi ◽  
Massimo Molteni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Statistical Learning ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Statistical Structure ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Visual Habituation

AbstractStatistical learning refers to the ability to extract the statistical relations embedded in a sequence, and it plays a crucial role in the development of communicative and social skills that are impacted in the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Here, we investigated the relationship between infants’ SL ability and autistic traits in their parents. Using a visual habituation task, we tested infant offspring of adults (non-diagnosed) who show high (HAT infants) versus low (LAT infants) autistic traits. Results demonstrated that LAT infants learned the statistical structure embedded in a visual sequence, while HAT infants failed. Moreover, infants’ SL ability was related to autistic traits in their parents, further suggesting that early dysfunctions in SL might contribute to variabilities in ASD symptoms.

scholarly journals Implicit Semantic Processing of Linguistic and Non-linguistic Stimuli in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emme O’Rourke ◽  
Emily L. Coderre
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Semantic Processing ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Adults With Autism ◽  
Priming Task ◽  
Adults With Asd

AbstractWhile many individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience difficulties with language processing, non-linguistic semantic processing may be intact. We examined neural responses to an implicit semantic priming task by comparing N400 responses—an event-related potential related to semantic processing—in response to semantically related or unrelated pairs of words or pictures. Adults with ASD showed larger N400 responses than typically developing adults for pictures, but no group differences occurred for words. However, we also observed complex modulations of N400 amplitude by age and by level of autistic traits. These results offer important implications for how groups are delineated and compared in autism research.

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