Severity of the autistic disorder and organization of socio-cognitive skills: differentiation or dissociation

Abstract

This study focuses on the organization of the socio-cognitive skills and abilities of autistic children under 7 years of age. The psychological development of 193 children with autism was assessed in five functional areas: object-related cognitions, person-related cognitions, mastery of social communication tools, daily living skills, and degree of socialization. Two very contrasting groups of children were constituted by crossing three variables: developmental age, presence or lack of linguistic activity, and disorder severity. A “low severity autism” group (n = 44; CA = 60 months and DA = 39 months) and a “high severity autism” group (n = 36; CA = 63 months and DA = 15 months) were compared to two control groups of typical children. Control groups were assessed in the same functional areas as autistic children: a group with a CA of 40 months (n = 46) and a group with a CA of 15 months (n = 52). The autistic children of the “low severity” group and the typical children, aged 40 months are characterized by an “undifferentiated organization”. Factor analyses highlight for each of these two groups one general factor. The two other groups (autistic children of the “high severity” group and typical children, aged 15 months) are characterized by a differentiation of their skills; factor analyses highlight for each of these groups a bifactorial structure. These results allow a distinction to be made between a developmental differentiation and an autistic dissociation.