01-06-2013 | Original Paper | Uitgave 6/2013
Neurocognitive Functioning in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Tijdschrift:
-
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
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Uitgave 6/2013
- Auteurs:
- Outi Reinvall, Arja Voutilainen, Teija Kujala, Marit Korkman
Abstract
There is a paucity of research studying comprehensive neurocognitive profiles of adolescents with higher functioning autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This study compared the neurocognitive profiles of higher functioning adolescents with ASD (n = 30, mean age 13.5) with that of typically developing adolescents (n = 30; mean age 13.7). Adolescents with ASD demonstrated a significantly higher mean Verbal Intelligence Quotient compared to the standardized mean. However, the ASD group had significantly lower scores than the control group on the subtests Auditory Attention and Response Set, Memory for Faces, Visuomotor Precision, and Design Copying. Thus, particular strengths were seen in verbal reasoning, while weaknesses were observed in auditory attention, facial recognition memory, and visuomotor functions in adolescents with ASD.