Cognitive Mediators of School-Related Socio-Adaptive Behaviors in ASD and Intellectual Disability Pre- and Adolescents: A Pilot-Study in French Special Education Classrooms.

Cécile Mazon,Charles Consel,Hélène Sauzéon,Isabelle Hesling,Manuel Bouvard,Anouck Amestoy,Kattalin Etchegoyhen,Charles Fage

doi:10.3390/brainsci9120334

Abstract

The school inclusion of students with autism is still a challenge. To address the cognitive underpinnings of school-related adaptive behaviors, 27 students with autism and 18 students with intellectual and/or severe learning disability, aged from 11 to 17, were recruited. They underwent socio-emotional processing and executive functioning assessments, as well as school-related adaptive behavior and quality of life measurements. Both groups performed equally on socio-emotional and executive assessments, and they reported the same low quality of life. However, students with autism exhibited more limitations than the students with intellectual disabilities on complex school adaptive behaviors (socialization and autonomy) and problem behaviors, but both groups performed equally on more basic adaptive behaviors (school routines, communication). Multiple regression analyses highlighted between-group differences in terms of adaptive functioning profiles, which were linked with different cognitive predictors according to students’ medical conditions. The greater school-related limitations of students with autism were mostly explained by socio-emotional performance, while IQ (intellectual quotient) mostly explained the comparable between-group limitations. The low quality of life of both groups was slightly explained by executive performance. The role of both socio-emotional and executive functioning in students’ adaptive behaviors and quality of life suggests remediation targets for promoting the school inclusion of students with autism.

Highlights

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in communication and social interactions, as well as restricted activities and interests [1]
There were no significant differences between students with ASD and students with intellectual disability (ID) irrespective of measures
Group-separated regression analyses for the ASD group revealed a significant model with 24.5% of explained variance including only the socio-emotional processing (SEP) factor (17.2% of the explained variance)

Summary

Introduction

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in communication and social interactions, as well as restricted activities and interests (such as repetitive stereotypic behaviors) [1]. The early onset of ASD leads to limitations from a very young age in carrying out a wide range of daily activities across multiple settings. This results in restrictions on social participation for individuals with ASD, starting with school inclusion in mainstream settings. Brain Sci. 2019, 9, 334; doi:10.3390/brainsci9120334 www.mdpi.com/journal/brainsci. The second domain is related to the limited adaptive skills of children with ASD. This leads to difficulties in autonomously performing school activities that are expected in mainstream settings [6]

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