BACKGROUND: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience marked challenges with social function by definition, but few modifiable predictors of social functioning in ASD have been identified in extant research. This study hypothesized that deficits in social cognition and motor function may help to explain poor social functioning in individuals with ASD. METHOD: Cross-sectional data from 108 individuals with ASD and without intellectual disability ages 9 through 27.5 were used to assess the relationship between social cognition and motor function, and social functioning. RESULTS: Results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that greater social cognition, but not motor function, was significantly associated with better social functioning when controlling for sex, age, and intelligence quotient. Post-hoc analyses revealed that, better performance on second-order false belief tasks was associated with higher levels of socially adaptive behavior and lower levels of social problems. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the development and testing of interventions that target social cognition in order to improve social functioning in individuals with ASD. Interventions that teach generalizable skills to help people with ASD better understand social situations and develop competency in advanced perspective taking have the potential to create more durable change because their effects can be applied to a wide and varied set of situations and not simply a prescribed set of rehearsed situations.
BACKGROUND: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience marked challenges with social function by definition, but few modifiable predictors of social functioning in ASD have been identified in extant research. This study hypothesized that deficits in social cognition and motor function may help to explain poor social functioning in individuals with ASD. METHOD: Cross-sectional data from 108 individuals with ASD and without intellectual disability ages 9 through 27.5 were used to assess the relationship between social cognition and motor function, and social functioning. RESULTS: Results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that greater social cognition, but not motor function, was significantly associated with better social functioning when controlling for sex, age, and intelligence quotient. Post-hoc analyses revealed that, better performance on second-order false belief tasks was associated with higher levels of socially adaptive behavior and lower levels of social problems. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the development and testing of interventions that target social cognition in order to improve social functioning in individuals with ASD. Interventions that teach generalizable skills to help people with ASD better understand social situations and develop competency in advanced perspective taking have the potential to create more durable change because their effects can be applied to a wide and varied set of situations and not simply a prescribed set of rehearsed situations.
Entities:
Keywords:
adaptive behavior; manipulative dexterity; motor function; second-order false belief; social impairment; theory of mind
Authors: Shaun M Eack; Deborah P Greenwald; Susan S Hogarty; Susan J Cooley; Ann Louise DiBarry; Debra M Montrose; Matcheri S Keshavan Journal: Psychiatr Serv Date: 2009-11 Impact factor: 3.084
Authors: Anne-Kathrin J Fett; Wolfgang Viechtbauer; Maria-de-Gracia Dominguez; David L Penn; Jim van Os; Lydia Krabbendam Journal: Neurosci Biobehav Rev Date: 2010-07-08 Impact factor: 8.989
Authors: Shaun M Eack; Amber L Bahorik; Summer A F McKnight; Susan S Hogarty; Deborah P Greenwald; Christina E Newhill; Mary L Phillips; Matcheri S Keshavan; Nancy J Minshew Journal: Schizophr Res Date: 2013-06-13 Impact factor: 4.939
Authors: Brittany G Travers; Erin D Bigler; Tyler C Duffield; Molly D B Prigge; Alyson L Froehlich; Nicholas Lange; Andrew L Alexander; Janet E Lainhart Journal: Dev Sci Date: 2016-04-07
Authors: Matthew J Smith; Rogério M Pinto; Leann Dawalt; J D Smith; Kari Sherwood; Rashun Miles; Julie Taylor; Kara Hume; Tamara Dawkins; Mary Baker-Ericzén; Thomas Frazier; Laura Humm; Chris Steacy Journal: Res Autism Spectr Disord Date: 2019-12-12
Authors: Paula Morales Hidalgo; María Merino Martínez; Angélica Gutiérrez González; Lola Garrote Petisco; Carol Amat Forcadell; Cynthia I D'Agostino; Laura Pérez de la Varga Journal: J Autism Dev Disord Date: 2021-12-25
Authors: Melody R Altschuler; Dominic A Trevisan; Julie M Wolf; Adam J Naples; Jennifer H Foss-Feig; Vinod H Srihari; James C McPartland Journal: J Abnorm Psychol Date: 2021-05