Catherine R G Jones1, Emily Simonoff2, Gillian Baird3, Andrew Pickles4, Anita J S Marsden5, Jenifer Tregay6, Francesca Happé7, Tony Charman8. 1. School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK. 2. Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK. 3. Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. 4. Biostatistics Department and Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK. 5. Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. 6. Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK. 7. SGDP Research Centre King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK. 8. Department of Psychology, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK.
Abstract
It has been strongly argued that atypical cognitive processes in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) contribute to the expression of behavioural symptoms. Comprehensive investigation of these claims has been limited by small and unrepresentative sample sizes and the absence of wide-ranging task batteries. The current study investigated the cognitive abilities of 100 adolescents with ASD (mean age = 15 years 6 months), using 10 tasks to measure the domains of theory of mind (ToM) and executive function (EF). We used structural equation modelling as a statistically robust way of exploring the associations between cognition and parent-reported measures of social communication and restricted and repetitive behaviours (RRBs). We found that ToM ability was associated with both social communication symptoms and RRBs. EF was a correlate of ToM but had no direct association with parent-reported symptom expression. Our data suggest that in adolescence ToM ability, but not EF, is directly related to autistic symptom expression. Autism Res 2018, 11: 95-109.
It has been strongly argued that atypical cognitive processes in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) contribute to the expression of behavioural symptoms. Comprehensive investigation of these claims has been limited by small and unrepresentative sample sizes and the absence of wide-ranging task batteries. The current study investigated the cognitive abilities of 100 adolescents with ASD (mean age = 15 years 6 months), using 10 tasks to measure the domains of theory of mind (ToM) and executive function (EF). We used structural equation modelling as a statistically robust way of exploring the associations between cognition and parent-reported measures of social communication and restricted and repetitive behaviours (RRBs). We found that ToM ability was associated with both social communication symptoms and RRBs. EF was a correlate of ToM but had no direct association with parent-reported symptom expression. Our data suggest that in adolescence ToM ability, but not EF, is directly related to autistic symptom expression. Autism Res 2018, 11: 95-109.