Nonverbal and verbal cognitive discrepancy profiles in autism spectrum disorders: influence of age and gender.

Ankenman et al. (2014) looked at IQ scores in children with autism. They checked if nonverbal IQ was higher than verbal IQ. Age and gender were tracked to see who shows the biggest gap.

The design was cross-sectional: one snapshot per child, no intervention.

Many young boys with autism scored higher on nonverbal than verbal tasks. The split was less common in girls and in older children.

Capio et al. (2013) extends the story to adults. Even verbal adults with normal IQ still show slow processing and poor flexibility. The gap does not close with age; it just looks different.

Greene et al. (2019) profiled gifted autistic students. These twice-exceptional learners also show the NV>VIQ pattern, yet they outgrow peers academically. High nonverbal strength can mask language needs.

Merken et al. (2025) sounds contradictory at first. In preschoolers with developmental language disorder, nonverbal IQ moved in all directions over time. The difference is diagnosis: ASD profiles stay stable, while DLD scores jump around. Re-test early DLD kids, but trust the ASD split.

Expect a nonverbal > verbal split in young male clients. Plan assessments that lean on visual cues, not long verbal instructions. For older or gifted clients, keep checking language skills even when IQ looks strong.