Autistic children at risk of being underestimated: school-based pilot study of a strength-informed assessment

Molecular Autism
Valérie CourchesneIsabelle Soulières

Abstract

An important minority of school-aged autistic children, often characterized as 'nonverbal' or 'minimally verbal,' displays little or no spoken language. These children are at risk of being judged 'low-functioning' or 'untestable' via conventional cognitive testing practices. One neglected avenue for assessing autistic children so situated is to engage current knowledge of autistic cognitive strengths. Our aim was thus to pilot a strength-informed assessment of autistic children whose poor performance on conventional instruments suggests their cognitive potential is very limited. Thirty autistic children (6 to 12 years) with little or no spoken language, attending specialized schools for autistic children with the highest levels of impairment, were assessed using Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV), Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices board form (RCPM), Children's Embedded Figures Test (CEFT), and a visual search task. An age-matched control group of 27 typical children was also assessed. None of the autistic children could complete WISC-IV; only six completed any subtest. In contrast, 26 autistic children could complete RCPM, with 17 scoring between the 5th and 90th percentile. Twenty-seven autistic children com...Continue Reading

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Citations

Feb 9, 2016·Brain Research·Patricia C B Beltrão-Braga, Alysson R Muotri
Jun 1, 2016·Frontiers in Psychology·Chantanee MungkhetklangCarl Parsons
Jun 6, 2016·Research in Developmental Disabilities·Júlia Ballester-PlanéRoser Pueyo
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Sep 10, 2021·The Clinical Neuropsychologist·Tanya St JohnAnnette Estes
Oct 28, 2021·Autism Research : Official Journal of the International Society for Autism Research·Dominique GirardIsabelle Soulières
Nov 4, 2021·Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines·Elizabeth Pellicano, Jacquiline den Houting
May 27, 2020··Muhammad Bilal ArshadMuhammad Farhan Sarwar

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