Early Predictors of Academic Achievement in School-Aged Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Background: Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) commonly experience social and academic challenges within the school setting, often exacerbated by cognitive, language, and motor impairments. Few studies have looked at early predictors of later academic performance in this group, results of which may have important implications for clinical intervention.

Objectives: This study aims to assess early predictors of academic functioning in school-aged children with ASDs.

Methods: Participants were 27 children (23 males) evaluated at three time points as part of a larger study on the early detection of pervasive developmental disorders. ASD diagnosis was established at T1 (mean age 27.2 ± 3.3 months) and confirmed at T2 (mean age 52.8 ± 5.5 months), with diagnoses distributed as follows: 81% Autistic Disorder and 19% Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (i.e., PDD-NOS). All children continued to meet diagnostic criteria for an ASD at T3 (mean age 119.4 ± 9.7 months), at which time academic achievement was also assessed. As T1 cognitive data was characterized by considerable floor effects, T2 data was used to predict T3 outcomes. Cognitive ability and social functioning at T2 were evaluated by the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) and Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS), respectively. Academic achievement at T3 was assessed across the domains of reading (i.e., word reading, reading comprehension, and pseudoword decoding) and mathematics (i.e., numerical operations and math reasoning) using the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test. The current study used multiple regression with stepwise entry to determine significant predictors of academic ability at T3 from cognitive and social functioning at T2.

Results: Five T2 variables (MSEL receptive language, expressive language, visual reception, and fine motor; VABS socialization) were entered stepwise to predict T3 achievement. Composite reading skills were best predicted by receptive language ability (R² = .68, F(1,7) = 15.089, p = .006). Word reading was best predicted by fine motor skills (R² = .45, F(1,16) = 13.109, p = .002), and reading comprehension was best predicted by a combination of receptive language ability and socialization skills (R² = .88, F(2,12) = 42.859, p < .001). Pseudoword decoding had no significant predictors (F(5,4) = 1.397, p = .384). In contrast, composite math skills (as well as specific component skills of numerical operations [R² = .54, F(1,14) = 16.309, p = .001] and math reasoning [R² = .72, F(1,13) = 33.524, p < .001]) were best predicted by expressive language ability (R² = .87, F(1,11) = 70.410, p < .001).

Conclusions: This study was designed to determine early predictors of academic achievement in school-aged children with ASDs. The results suggest that, overall, early language skills best predict later academic abilities; specifically, receptive language skills predict reading ability, whereas expressive language skills predict math ability. This study supports the importance of early language interventions for potential improvement of later academic outcomes in children with ASDs.