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

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.

Developmental milestones as early warning indicators of twice-exceptionality

<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>

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

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.

EMPHATY AND TOLERANCE IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION: COOPERATIVE VS. CLASSICAL LEARNING

There is a common belief that physical education is potential to introduce moral values, such as emphaty and tolerance. However, belief itself is still debatable and needs more empirical evidence. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of two learning methods commonly used in physical education, these are cooperative and classical learning, whether it could be used for learning the moral values. There were 128 eight graders (52 boys and 76 girls) involved in the experiment. These students were categorised as above average in academic, diversed in religion and social economy background, but they are mostly Javanese. The emphaty was measured using Baron-Cohen scale, while the tolerance was measured using the instrument developed by UNESCO. Using a 2x2 factorial design varying learning model (cooperative vs. classical) and academic achievement (international class vs. regular class). The results showed that cooperative learning was significantly more effective than classical learning. It was found that the emphaty and tolerant scores of the leading class was significantly higher than those in the reguler class. It might be said that those with high cognitive ability may also develop moral values. Nevertheless, no interaction effect was found. This results are discussed using the perspective of socio-constructivism.

Mathematics Motivation in Students With Low Cognitive Ability: A Longitudinal Study of Motivation and Relations With Effort, Self-Regulation, and Grades

Expectancy-value theory (EVT) is a popular framework to understand and improve students' motivation. Unfortunately, limited research has verified whether EVT predictions generalize to students with low levels of cognitive ability. This study relies on Grade 5 and 8 data from 177 students with low levels of cognitive ability and a matched sample of 177 students with average to high cognitive ability from the German “Project for the Analysis of Learning and Achievement in Mathematics.” Results showed that students with low levels of cognitive ability were able to differentiate EVT components. Both groups demonstrated a similar downward developmental trend in motivation from early to middle adolescence, and similar relations between EVT components and levels of efforts, self-regulation, and mathematics class grades.

Multiple Switching and Data Quality in the Multiple Price List

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.

A The Description Of The Ninth Grade Junior High School Students’ Cognitive Ability In Completing The Two Linear Variables Equation Viewed From Solo Taxonomy

This research is qualitative descriptive research which aims to describe ninth grade students' cognitive abilities in solving the problem of two-variable linear equations (PLDV) through Solo Taxonomy. The techniques of data collection were tests, interviews, and documentation. The credibility of the data in this research is guaranteed using the triangulation method. The results of this research, based on five levels of Solo Taxonomy, show the students' understanding and problem-solving abilities based on their cognitive abilities. In this case, the subject of high cognitive ability (DW) was able to reach five levels of the Solo Taxonomy and the subject of moderate cognitive ability (RN) was able to reach three levels of the Solo Taxonomy. So that it can be said that the two subjects were able to understand and solve the problem of two-variable linear equations (PLDV). The subject of low cognitive ability (AB) was able to reach one level of Solo Taxonomy so that it can be said that the subject has not been able to understand and solve PLDV problems.

Kemampuan Pembuktian Matematis Mahasiswa Menggunakan Induksi Matematika

Kemampuan mahasiswa dalam melakukan pembuktian matematis tidak sama bergantung dari kategori kognitifnya. Salah satu metode pembuktian matematika adalah induksi matematika yang memerlukan pemahaman konsep secara sistematis. Tujuan penelitian adalah untuk mengetahui kemampuan pembuktian matematis mahasiswa yang memiliki kategori kognitif tinggi dan rendah menggunakan induksi matematika. Subjek penelitian ini adalah empat orang mahasiswa tingkat tiga Program Studi Pendidikan Matematika dengan klasifikasi dua orang mahasiswa memiliki kemampuan kognitif tinggi dan dua mahasiswa berkemampuan rendah. Instrumen penelitian yang digunakan adalah lembar tes materi induksi matematika dan pedoman wawancara. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif yang mendeskripsikan kemampuan pembuktian matematis mahasiswa dalam menyelesaikan soal terkait induksi matematika disesuaikan dengan kemampuan kognitif tinggi dan rendah. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa mahasiswa dengan kategori kognitif tinggi mampu menyelesaikan setiap langkah pembuktian secara benar namun belum sistematis, sedangkan yang berkemampuan kognitif rendah tidak memahami alur pembuktian pada langkah induksi, kekeliruan memahami sifat distributif, dan ketidakteraturan menghubungkan setiap langkah pembuktian. Melalui artikel ini, peneliti berharap dapat menganalisis perlakuan yang tepat pada mahasiswa saat mengajar berbagai materi matematika yang menggunakan prasyarat induksi matematika. Kata kunci: pembuktian matematis, induksi matematika, kemampuan kognitif. ABSTRACT The students’ ability to perform mathematical proof is different depending on their cognitive category. One of mathematical proofing is mathematical induction which requires concepts understanding systematically. The purpose of this research is to know the ability of mathematical proof using mathematical induction of high and low cognitive category students. The subjects of this study are four third graders of Mathematics Education Study Program. Two students have high cognitive ability and the others have low cognitive ability. The mathematical induction material test sheet and interview guideline are used as research instruments. This is a descriptive research which describes the mathematical proof ability of students in solving problems related to mathematical induction adjusted with high and low cognitive ability. The results show that students with high cognitive category are able to complete each step of proof correctly but not systematically. At the same time, the students with low cognitive ability are not understand the proof steps at the induction step, the misunderstood the distributive property, and the irregularity connect the proof steps. The researcher expects to analyze the appropriate treatment to the students while teaching mathematical materials using mathematical induction prerequisites. Keywords: mathematical proof, mathematical induction, cognitive ability.