Assessment of cognitive profile (WISC-IV), autistic symptomatology and pragmatic disorders in high intellectual potential compared with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

IntroductionAn overlap between autism spectrum disorder (ASD), in particular Asperger Syndrome (AS), and high intellectual potential (HIP–Total IQ > 2 SD) is often discussed.ObjectivesExplore differences between homogeneous and heterogeneous Wisc-profiles among HIP children, and between HIP and ASD children, on cognitive and clinical assessments.MethodsForty-nine participants (mean age 11.2 years) were divided in 4 groups: High Functioning Autism (HFA), AS, Homogenous HIP and Heterogeneous HIP. Data of WISC-IV and questionnaires – Autism Quotient (AQ), Empathy Quotient (EQ), Systemizing Quotient (SQ), Children's Communication Checklist (CCC) – were compared.(Preliminary) ResultsOn the WISC-IV, the Z scores curves follow similar trajectories but highlight quantitative differences between AS and heterogeneous HIP: verbal comprehension is the highest index (+1,6 SD in AS; +3,1 SD in heterogeneous HIP) followed by perceptual reasoning, working memory, and processing speed indexes (–1,2 SD in AS; +0,5 SD in heterogeneous HIP), respectively. The questionnaires show that scores of Homogenous HIP children are all in the average. Heterogeneous HIP children score 2,1 SD above average on the AQ (+1,6 SD on “Social Skills” and +1,3 SD on “Local Detail” subscales), whereas ASD children score 4 SD above average on the AQ. In addition, heterogeneous HIP children show pragmatic difficulties (–2,4 SD on the CCC, with a peak on “Area of Interest” subscale), also present in ASD children (–4 SD).ConclusionsAS and heterogeneous HIP children show similar cognitive profiles on the WISC-IV. Furthermore, heterogeneous HIP children exhibit high scores on the AQ and have pragmatic difficulties.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.