Neuropsychologic functioning in children with autism: further evidence for disordered complex information-processing

Child Neuropsychol. 2006 Aug;12(4-5):279-98. doi: 10.1080/09297040600681190.

Abstract

A wide range of abilities was assessed in 56 high-functioning children with autism and 56 age- and IQ-matched controls. Stepwise discriminant analyses produced good group discrimination for sensory-perceptual, motor, complex language, and complex memory domains but lower agreement for the reasoning domain than previously obtained for adults. Group discrimination did not occur for attention, simple language, simple memory, and visuospatial domains. Findings provide additional support for a complex information-processing model for autism, previously based on adult data, demonstrating a pattern across domains of selective impairments on measures with high demands for integration of information and sparing when demands were low. Children as compared to adults with autism exhibited more prominent sensory-perceptual symptoms and less pronounced reasoning deficits reflecting brain maturation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • Attention / physiology
  • Autistic Disorder / diagnosis*
  • Autistic Disorder / physiopathology*
  • Child
  • Cognition
  • Discriminant Analysis
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Language
  • Male
  • Memory / physiology
  • Mental Processes*
  • Models, Psychological
  • Neuropsychological Tests / statistics & numerical data*
  • Psychomotor Performance / physiology
  • Reference Values
  • Space Perception / physiology
  • Visual Perception / physiology