Stability and Change in the Cognitive and Adaptive Behaviour Scores of Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Austin et al. (2015) tracked the same preschoolers with autism from first diagnosis to kindergarten. They gave IQ and adaptive tests twice: once at age three and again at school entry. No extra teaching was tested; they just watched how scores moved over time.

IQ scores jumped 9 to 18 points for most kids. Daily-living skills crept up only a little. One in four children still met criteria for intellectual disability when they started school. Big thinking gains, tiny life-skills gains.

Pathak et al. (2019) saw the same IQ-adaptive gap in a huge registry of older kids. The gap widens with age, so preschool hints become bigger cracks later. Deserno et al. (2017) followed adults and found the gap stays wide; anxiety or depression makes it worse. Schaal et al. (1990) warned that adaptive skills can actually slide after childhood, flipping early strengths into adult deficits. Together these papers trace one clear story: IQ rises fast, but adaptive skills lag and may fall further behind without help.

Do not let high IQ numbers calm you. Keep daily-living goals in the IEP right next to academic ones. Add social-skills groups, chores, and community practice even when the child scores average or above on IQ. Re-test adaptive scales every year; catch stalls before they widen.