A comparison of social skills in adults with autistic disorder, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified, and mental retardation.
Adults with autism in institutions show poorer social skills than peers with MR alone—screen with Vineland and MESSIER to tailor programming.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Njardvik et al. (1999) compared social skills in three groups of adults living in state facilities. The groups were autistic disorder, PDD-NOS, and mental retardation alone.
Staff used two checklists: the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales and the MESSIER. They rated how well each adult used eye contact, gestures, and friendly body language.
What they found
Adults with autism scored lowest on positive nonverbal skills. The PDD-NOS group scored in the middle. The MR-only group scored highest.
The ranking was clear: autism < PDD-NOS < MR. The gap was large enough to see in everyday interactions.
How this fits with other research
Kraijer (2000) reviewed earlier studies and found the same pattern. Dually diagnosed adults score lower on social and communication domains than matched MR peers. The review helps explain why the 1999 scores look the way they do.
Donahoe et al. (2000) extended the comparison to repetitive behavior. They also ranked autism as most impaired, but this time for stereotypy and self-injury. Together the papers show autism carries extra social and behavioral risk even when IQ is controlled.
Klin et al. (2007) looked at higher-functioning community adults. They still found big Vineland social gaps that widen with age. This extends the 1999 finding beyond institutional walls and tells us the deficit is not just a placement effect.
Why it matters
If you work with adults who have both autism and ID, do not assume their social skills match their self-care or motor skills. Screen with Vineland and MESSIER, then write goals for eye contact, gestures, and friendly posture. Small boosts in these nonverbal units can open more job and day-program options.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
We examined the social skills of adults with autism, PDDNOS, and mental retardation. All participants were diagnosed with profound mental retardation. Participants in the autism and PDDNOS groups had been previously diagnosed using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and record review. These diagnoses were confirmed by readministering the CARS by one author and an independent rater. Social skills were assessed by using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales and the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills in the Severely Retarded. Significant differences between the autism and mental retardation groups were found on both measures. The PDDNOS group demonstrated better positive nonverbal social skills than the autism group but not the mental retardation group. Special treatment needs of institutionalized adults with autism appear warranted along with a need to clarify further the differences between PDDNOS and mental retardation.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 1999 · doi:10.1023/a:1022107318500