Social Cognition in Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Recent Advances and Trends in Research

Abstract

Abstract This chapter provides an overview of recent research on social cognition and social functioning in people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs), with a particular focus on neurodevelopmental disorders associated with distinctive social-cognitive and behavioral phenotypes. We review the main experimental paradigms that have been used to probe social cognition in both typically and atypically developing populations and discuss findings primarily from research on two neurodevelopmental disorders that have been extensively studied in the last 3 decades: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and William's syndrome (WS). Viewed in the past as diametric opposites in their social phenotypes, the two disorders have been intensely researched for their potential to provide insights into the neurocognitive bases of sociocognitive capacities and ultimately into the neurogenetic underpinnings of the “social mind.” The findings reviewed in this chapter convey a mixed and sometimes contradictory account of commonalities and differences in sociocognitive abilities between and within syndrome, underscoring the need to further explore, within an etiology-based framework, individual differences, developmental trajectories, links with genetic variation, and experiential factors to solve the many puzzles of social cognition in people with IDD.