Associations of IQ and Autistic Symptomology with Functioning in Young Adults with ASD: Self- and Parent Report

Background:  

Despite positive overlap between ASD and intellectual disability (Ronald & Hoekstra, 2011) and social anxiety (Cath et al., 2008; Tyson & Cruess, in press; White, Bray, & Ollendick, in press), self- and parent reports have related higher IQ and lower ASD symptomology to lower self-reported self-concept and higher distress within the ASD population (Capps, Sigman, & Yirmiya, 1995; Mazurek & Kanne, 2010; Sterling et al., 2008; Vickerstaff et al., 2007).

Objectives:

The study’s purposes are to test associations between (1) IQ and (2) ASD symptoms with measures of social and psychosocial functioning in young adults with ASD.

Methods:

Data draw from the baseline data of young adults (N = 34, M IQ – Verbal = 96.47) ages 18 to 24 with ASD from PEERS for Young Adults, an evidence-based social skills program for high-functioning adults with ASD. In Study 1, Pearson’s correlations were performed between the young adults‘IQ scores on the KBIT-2 (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2005) and several measures inlcuding the AQ (Baron-Cohen et al., 2001), DAS (Glickman & La Greca, 2004), DERS (Gratz & Roemer, 2004), EQ (Baron-Cohen & Wheelwright, 2004), FQ (Baron-Cohen & Wheelwright, 2003), SAS (La Greca & Lopez, 1998), SELSA (DiTamasso & Spinner, 1993), SSI (Riggio, 1986), and SSRS (Gresham & Elliot, 1990) filled out by young adults (YA), and the AQ, EQ, SAS,  SQ (Baron-Cohen et al., 2003), SRS (Constantino et al., 2003), SSRS, and VABS-2 (Sparrow, Cicchetti, & Balla, 2005) completed by parents (P). In Study 2, Pearson’s correlations were separately performed between the AQ-YA and AQ-P and the DAS, DERS, SAS-P, SAS-YA, SELSA, and SSRS – Problem Behaviors.

Results:  

Subscale correlations are not reported here of measures in which the total score correlated. In Study 1, the KBIT–2 Verbal was inversely related to the DERS (r = -.407, p<.05); FQ (r = -.457, p<.01); and SSI (p = -.405, p<.05). No relationship was found between KBIT-2 Nonverbal and other measures. In Study 2, the AQ-YA positively correlated with the DAS (r = .560, p<.01); SAS-YA (r = .477, p<.01); and the SAS-P (r = .545, p<.01). The AQ-P correlated positively with DAS – Group (r = .547, p<.01); SAS-A-General (r = .420, p<.05); SAS-P (r = .407, p<.05); and SSRS–P-PB –SS (r = .413, p<.05).

Conclusions:  

These results suggest that effective interventions to treat ASD symptomology may ameliorate anxiety symptomology, or vice versa. In Study 1, young adults with ASD with higher verbal IQ reported better emotion regulation abilities but lower friendship quality and social skills, which might suggest higher self-awareness. Conversely, the young adults‘ IQ scores did not significantly relate to parent report on any measures, suggesting stigmatizing effects of pedantic knowledge about perseverative interests or – paradoxically – of appearing odd rather than disabled. This study extends previous evidence that neither verbal nor nonverbal IQ consistently predict outcomes in adults with ASD, but without ID (Howlin et al., 2004). In Study 2, according to both self- and parent report, young adults with higher ASD symptomology had higher internalizing psychopathology, in contrast to previous studies.