Social attribution processes and comorbid psychiatric symptoms in children with Asperger syndrome.
Strange social explanations predict anxiety and depression in kids with Asperger syndrome, so screen social cognition when mood symptoms show up.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Eisenhower et al. (2006) looked at how kids with Asperger syndrome read social cues. They compared these kids to typically developing peers. The study used story tasks and rating scales to map social thinking and emotional problems.
What they found
Kids with Asperger syndrome made odd guesses about why cartoon characters acted a certain way. Their strange social explanations lined up with higher anxiety and depression scores. The worse the social thinking, the more emotional symptoms showed up.
How this fits with other research
Rose et al. (2000) saw the same heavy load of anxiety in teens with Asperger syndrome. Wilkinson et al. (1998) first counted that two-thirds of people with Asperger syndrome also meet criteria for another psychiatric disorder. Bal et al. (2013) later showed these social-attribution gaps widen as kids get older, so waiting does not help. Together the papers form a clear line: social-cognitive quirks appear early, stay put, and foreshadow later mood trouble.
Why it matters
When you see a client with Asperger syndrome who looks moody or withdrawn, check how they interpret social events. A quick story-task probe can flag kids at risk for anxiety or depression. Add social-cognition targets to behavior plans, not just social skills. Early catch may prevent deeper comorbidity down the road.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The factors that place children with Asperger syndrome at risk for comorbid psychiatric symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, remain poorly understood. We investigated the possibility that the children's emotional and behavioral difficulties are associated with social information and attribution processing. Participants were children with either Asperger syndrome (n = 31) or typical development (n = 33).To assess social information and attribution processing, children responded to hypothetical social vignettes. They also completed self-report measures of social difficulties and psychological functioning. Their parents provided information on social competence and clinical presentation. Children with Asperger syndrome showed poor psychosocial adjustment, which was related to their social information and attribution processing patterns. Cognitive and social-cognitive abilities were associated with aspects of social information processing tendencies, but not with emotional and behavioral difficulties. Results suggest that the comorbid symptoms of children with Asperger syndrome may be associated with their social perception, understanding, and experience.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2006 · doi:10.1177/1362361306064435