Correlates of adaptive behavior profiles in a large cohort of children with autism: The autism speaks Autism Treatment Network registry data.
Bright kids with autism often show bigger gaps between IQ and daily-living skills—check adaptive functioning either way.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Manina and her team pulled records from the kids with autism.
All were seen at Autism Speaks clinics.
They looked at IQ scores, Vineland daily-living scores, age, and sex.
The goal: map how well IQ predicts real-world skills in a big sample.
What they found
IQ and daily-living skills rose together, but the gap grew with age.
Older kids and higher-IQ kids fell further behind their IQ than expected.
In plain words: bright school-age kids often look more capable than they are.
How this fits with other research
Deserno et al. (2017) saw the same IQ-adaptive gap in young adults with autism.
Their study adds that anxiety or depression makes the gap wider.
Schertz et al. (2016) found a different pattern in Williams syndrome: IQ stays flat while adaptive scores drop.
Together the papers warn that strong IQ scores can hide daily-living problems across diagnoses.
Why it matters
Do not trust a high IQ to mean "no support needed."
Run a Vineland or ABAS on every new client, even the bright ones.
Target self-care, money, and social routines early; the gap widens with age.
Share the numbers with parents so they push for adaptive goals in the IEP.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Pull the Vineland for every client with IQ >85 and add one adaptive goal to the next session plan.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Children with autism spectrum disorder have deficits in adaptive functioning. This study examines the adaptive behavior, its association with cognitive ability, gender, age, and symptom severity in children with autism spectrum disorder. Using data from Autism Treatment Network registry, the adaptive behavior profiles were examined in 2538 school-aged children (between 5 and 17 years, mean: 8.8 years, standard deviation: 3.0) who had an overall intelligence quotient and Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale scores available. The children were grouped according to their intelligence quotient (low intelligence quotient < 70; borderline intelligence quotient = 70-85; average intelligence quotient > 85), age (5-10 and 11-17 years), and gender for the analyses. Significantly lower Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale scores were found in borderline and average intelligence quotient groups when compared to mean intelligence quotient, while an opposite pattern was seen in the low intelligence quotient group, with better adaptive behavior scores than mean intelligence quotient. Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale standard scores were positively correlated with intelligence quotient and poorly associated with autism spectrum disorder severity. Younger children had significantly higher Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale scores. Adjusted comparisons by gender were not significant. Adaptive behavior profiles in the intelligence quotient categories are discussed. This study confirms a positive relationship between adaptive behavior and intellectual function in autism and indicates that children with higher intelligence quotient and older age are specifically impaired, with lower adaptive behavior, highlighting the need for assessment and targeted intervention in these groups. Future directions for research are discussed.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2019 · doi:10.1177/1362361317733113