Executive functions are well known abilities that are deficient in persons with autism spectrum disorders (Ozonoff & Jensen, 1999). Evaluating these competences in children with mild intellectual disabilities is still a challenge, generally, research concerns adults without disabilities. Social cognition in autism has been extensively investigated during the last thirty years. Children with autism are generally less good than control groups in theory of mind's tasks (Yirmiya et al. 1998; Peterson, et al. 2005). Emotional understanding is also regularly presented as deficient (Baron-Cohen, 1993; Celani et al., 1999; Thommen et al., 2004).
Objectives:
Our research focused on the evolution of these abilities for a period of one year and an half and analyzed the particularity of this evolution regarding children individually.
Methods:
We presented three executive tasks to 26 children with autism. The tasks come from the BADS-C (Emslie, Wilson, Burden, Nimmo-Smith & Wilson, 2003) and evaluate mental flexibility (Rule Shift Cards test) planification and the self-monitoring (Key Search test) and planification (Zoo Map test). Social cognition is assessed through the french version of the TEC (Test of Emotion Comprehension, Pons & Harris, 2005) and French version of the Tom Storybooks (Blijd-Hoogewys et al. 2003).
The children aged 6 to 14 years old were evaluated twice with an interval of one year and a half. All are evaluated with the Wechsler Nonverbal Scale, the E.CO.S.SE (French equivalent of TROG) and diagnosed with the DSMIV. They present mild intellectual disabilities and follow special school in the french part of Switzerland.
Results:
First results show important difficulties of these children to cope with the executive tasks. Generally they are not able to change their answer in the rule shift cards test nor to plan a route in the zoo map test. On the contrary, comprehension of emotional facial expression is good. Their results on theory of mind and on emotion understanding improve through time. The individual path will be presented at the congress.
Conclusions:
Our research shows that children with autism are able to improve their social cognition even if they present mild intellectual disability.
See more of: Treatments: A: Social Skills; School, Teachers
See more of: Prevalence, Risk factors & Intervention