Autism Symptom Presentation and the Structure of Intelligence
Year: 2021
Type: preprint
Abstract: Background: There is a substantial base of literature studying the relationship between general intelligence and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) core symptoms. We aimed to assess the correlation between ASD symptom presentation and a hierarchical model of intelligence: to what degree and at what hierarchical level of hierarchical models general intellectual functioning and symptom presentation scores correlate. Method: To circumvent possible statistical non-independence of index scores, we conducted a factor analysis on Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, fifth edition (WISC-V) (N=83) and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, fourth edition (WISC-IV) (N=131) subscale data in children with Autism and examined the relationship between factors and Autism Diagnostic Observational Schedule (ADOS) performance. Secondarily, we compared the data-driven factor analysis with the manualized Intelligence Quotient (IQ) indices, including in a typically developing (TD) WISC-IV cohort (N=209). Results: In the WISC-V cohort, ADOS scores were uncorrelated with full-scale IQ and with all but one empirically-derived factor score. On the other hand, in the WISC-IV, ADOS scores were correlated with FSIQ and all but one factor score. Secondarily, we noticed that there was weaker correlation between our data-driven factors and manualized IQ index scores in both ASD samples than in the TD WISC-IV sample. Conclusions: ASD symptoms presentation is more independent of intelligence as measured by the WISC-V than intelligence as measured by WISC-IV at both the overall (FSIQ) and index levels of the hierarchy. In both WISC-IV and WISC-V, the ASD cohorts failed to show a one-to-one mapping between manualized index scores and statistically derived factor scores.
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4200134314