Profiles of academic achievement and attention in children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Weak divided attention, not ASD status, predicts math gaps; screen attention when school work stalls.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team looked at 5- to young learners kids with and without autism. They gave each child short tests of reading, math, and divided attention. A computer then sorted the kids into groups that had similar test scores.
The goal was to see if attention and school skills cluster together across diagnoses.
What they found
Three clear groups popped out. One group had strong attention and high grades. Another group had weak divided attention and low math scores. The third group sat in the middle.
Kids landed in the same groups whether they had ASD or not. Poor attention, not the autism label, predicted math trouble.
How this fits with other research
Plaisted et al. (2006) first showed that ASD reading scores scatter all over the map. Emily et al. now add math to the picture and pin part of the scatter on attention.
Kaur et al. (2024) used the same cluster trick on teacher ratings. They found ASD-plus-ADHD and sub-threshold groups in 6,894 preschool and school kids. Together the papers say: cluster profiles travel across age, rater, and diagnosis.
Moya et al. (2022) saw more parent help linked to worse math in kids with ADHD. That feels opposite to Emily’s call to target attention, but the studies looked at different things. S et al. counted homework help minutes; Emily measured divided-attention skill. More help may just flag harder problems, not cause them.
Why it matters
When a learner’s math stalls, don’t assume the autism label explains it. Run a quick divided-attention probe first. If scores are low, add attention-building drills or seat the child away from distractions. The fix may lift both attention and math, no matter the diagnosis.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Academic outcomes for autistic individuals are heterogeneous, but the reasons for this are unknown. Attention is known to predict learning in typical development, but there is less evidence about this relationship in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), even though attention is reported as atypical in this group. AIMS: To investigate reading and maths achievement profiles for children with and without an ASD, focusing on the role of attention in these profiles and to enable a better understanding of individual differences. METHODS: Reading, maths and attention abilities of 22 autistic children (6-16 years) and 59 TD children (6-11 years) were measured using standardised assessments. RESULTS: A hierarchical cluster analysis that included all children (N = 81) revealed three distinct transdiagnostic subgroups, characterised by children with good, average, and poorer divided attention and academic achievement respectively. Children with poorer attention and achievement displayed relative weaknesses in maths, while children with average or above-average attention and achievement showed no such weakness. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide a novel insight into the relationship between attention and achievement and understanding individual differences in ASD and typical development.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2020 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103749