18520
Examining and Comparing Social Perception Abilities in Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Friday, May 15, 2015: 5:30 PM-7:00 PM
Imperial Ballroom (Grand America Hotel)
D. A. Baribeau1, K. A. R. Doyle-Thomas2, A. Dupuis3, A. Iaboni4, H. C. McGinn5, J. Crosbie5, P. D. Arnold6, J. A. Brian7, A. Kushki4, R. Nicolson8, R. Schachar5, N. Soreni9, P. Szatmari10 and E. Anagnostou2, (1)Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, (2)Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada, (3)Clinical Research Services, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada, (4)Autism Research Centre, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada, (5)Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada, (6)Psychiatry, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada, (7)Bloorview Research Institute/ Paediatrics, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehab/ University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, (8)Psychiatry, Western University, London, ON, Canada, (9)McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada, (10)University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Background: Several neurodevelopmental disorders are associated with social processing deficits.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine and compare patterns of social perception abilities across obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and control subjects.

Methods: A total of 265 children (mean age 11.4 years; n=34 control subjects, n=42 with OCD, n=71 with ADHD, and n=118 with ASD) completed the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test-child version (RMET). Parents/caregivers completed established trait/symptom scales. Predicted percent accuracy on the RMET was compared 1) across disorders, 2) by item difficulty and by item valence (i.e. positive/negative/neutral mental states), and then analyzed for associations with trait/symptom scores.

Results: Percent correct RMET scores varied significantly between diagnostic groups (p <0.0001). On pairwise group comparisons controlling for age and sex, children with ADHD and ASD scored lower than other groups (p<0.0001). When IQ was also controlled for in the model, the OCD group performed better than controls (p< 0.001), although differences between other groups were less pronounced. The ASD group scored lowest on easy items. The ASD and ADHD groups scored significantly lower than other groups on items with positive valence (p< 0.01). Greater social communication impairment and hyperactivity, but not OCD traits/symptoms, were associated with lower scores on the RMET, irrespective of diagnosis.

Conclusions: Social perception abilities in neurodevelopmental disorders exist along a continuum. Children with ASD have the greatest deficits, while children with OCD may be hypersensitive to social information. Social communication deficits and hyperactive/impulsive traits are associated with impaired social perception abilities; these findings highlight overlapping cognitive and behavioral manifestations across disorders.

See more of: Social Cognition and Social Behavior
See more of: Social Cognition and Social Behavior