High-Functioning Autism

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Simon Baroncohen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • lego therapy and the social use of language programme an evaluation of two social skills interventions for children with high functioning Autism and asperger syndrome
    Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2008
    Co-Authors: Gina Owens, Yael Granader, Ayla Humphrey, Simon Baroncohen
    Abstract:

    LEGO® therapy and the Social Use of Language Programme (SULP) were evaluated as social skills interventions for 6–11 year olds with high functioning Autism and Asperger Syndrome. Children were matched on CA, IQ, and autistic symptoms before being randomly assigned to LEGO or SULP. Therapy occurred for 1 h/week over 18 weeks. A no-intervention control group was also assessed. Results showed that the LEGO therapy group improved more than the other groups on Autism-specific social interaction scores (Gilliam Autism Rating Scale). Maladaptive behaviour decreased significantly more in the LEGO and SULP groups compared to the control group. There was a non-significant trend for SULP and LEGO groups to improve more than the no-intervention group in communication and socialisation skills.

  • narrative discourse in adults with high functioning Autism or asperger syndrome
    Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2008
    Co-Authors: Livia Colle, Simon Baroncohen, Sally Wheelwright, Heather K J Van Der Lely
    Abstract:

    We report a study comparing the narrative abilities of 12 adults with High-Functioning Autism (HFA) or Asperger Syndrome (AS) versus 12 matched controls. The study focuses on the use of referential expressions (temporal expressions and anaphoric pronouns) during a story-telling task. The aim was to assess pragmatics skills in people with HFA/AS in whom linguistic impairments are more subtle than in classic Autism. We predicted no significant differences in general narrative abilities between the two groups, but specific pragmatic deficits in people with AS. We predicted they use fewer personal pronouns, temporal expressions and referential expressions, which require theory of mind abilities. Results confirmed both predictions. These findings provide initial evidence of how social impairments can produce mild linguistic impairments.

  • the empathy quotient an investigation of adults with asperger syndrome or high functioning Autism and normal sex differences
    Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2004
    Co-Authors: Simon Baroncohen, Sally Wheelwright
    Abstract:

    Empathy is an essential part of normal social functioning, yet there are precious few instruments for measuring individual differences in this domain. In this article we review psychological theories of empathy and its measurement. Previous instruments that purport to measure this have not always focused purely on empathy. We report a new self-report questionnaire, the Empathy Quotient (EQ), for use with adults of normal intelligence. It contains 40 empathy items and 20 filler/control items. On each empathy item a person can score 2, 1, or 0, so the EQ has a maximum score of 80 and a minimum of zero. In Study 1 we employed the EQ with n = 90 adults (65 males, 25 females) with Asperger Syndrome (AS) or High-Functioning Autism (HFA), who are reported clinically to have difficulties in empathy. The adults with AS/HFA scored significantly lower on the EQ than n = 90 (65 males, 25 females) age-matched controls. Of the adults with AS/HFA, 81% scored equal to or fewer than 30 points out of 80, compared with only 12% of controls. In Study 2 we carried out a study of n = 197 adults from a general population, to test for previously reported sex differences (female superiority) in empathy. This confirmed that women scored significantly higher than men. The EQ reveals both a sex difference in empathy in the general population and an empathy deficit in AS/HFA.

  • the reading the mind in the eyes test revised version a study with normal adults and adults with asperger syndrome or high functioning Autism
    Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2001
    Co-Authors: Simon Baroncohen, Sally Wheelwright, Jacqueline J Hill, Yogini Raste, Ian Plumb
    Abstract:

    In 1997 in this Journal we published the ‘‘Reading the Mind in the Eyes’’ Test, as a measure of adult ‘‘mentalising’’. Whilst that test succeeded in discriminating a group of adults with Asperger syndrome (AS) or High-Functioning Autism (HFA) from controls, it suered from several psychometric problems. In this paper these limitations are rectified by revising the test. The Revised Eyes Test was administered to a group of adults with AS or HFA (N fl 15) and again discriminated these from a large number of normal controls (N fl 239) drawn from dierent samples. In both the clinical and control groups the Eyes Test was inversely correlated with the Autism Spectrum Quotient (the AQ), a measure of autistic traits in adults of normal intelligence. The Revised Eyes Test has improved power to detect subtle individual dierences in social sensitivity.

  • the Autism spectrum quotient aq evidence from asperger syndrome high functioning Autism males and females scientists and mathematicians
    Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2001
    Co-Authors: Simon Baroncohen, Sally Wheelwright, Richard Skinner, Joanne Martin, Emma Clubley
    Abstract:

    Currently there are no brief, self-administered instruments for measuring the degree to which an adult with normal intelligence has the traits associated with the autistic spectrum. In this paper, we report on a new instrument to assess this: the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Individuals score in the range 0-50. Four groups of subjects were assessed: Group 1: 58 adults with Asperger syndrome (AS) or High-Functioning Autism (HFA); Group 2: 174 randomly selected controls. Group 3: 840 students in Cambridge University; and Group 4: 16 winners of the UK Mathematics Olympiad. The adults with AS/HFA had a mean AQ score of 35.8 (SD = 6.5), significantly higher than Group 2 controls (M = 16.4, SD = 6.3). 80% of the adults with AS/HFA scored 32+, versus 2% of controls. Among the controls, men scored slightly but significantly higher than women. No women scored extremely highly (AQ score 34+) whereas 4% of men did so. Twice as many men (40%) as women (21%) scored at intermediate levels (AQ score 20+). Among the AS/HFA group, male and female scores did not differ significantly. The students in Cambridge University did not differ from the randomly selected control group, but scientists (including mathematicians) scored significantly higher than both humanities and social sciences students, confirming an earlier study that autistic conditions are associated with scientific skills. Within the sciences, mathematicians scored highest. This was replicated in Group 4, the Mathematics Olympiad winners scoring significantly higher than the male Cambridge humanities students. 6% of the student sample scored 32+ on the AQ. On interview, 11 out of 11 of these met three or more DSM-IV criteria for AS/HFA, and all were studying sciences/mathematics, and 7 of the 11 met threshold on these criteria. Test-retest and interrater reliability of the AQ was good. The AQ is thus a valuable instrument for rapidly quantifying where any given individual is situated on the continuum from Autism to normality. Its potential for screening for Autism spectrum conditions in adults of normal intelligence remains to be fully explored.

Sandra B Chapman - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • virtual reality social cognition training for children with high functioning Autism
    Computers in Human Behavior, 2016
    Co-Authors: Nyaz Didehbani, Tandra T. Allen, Michelle R. Kandalaft, Daniel C. Krawczyk, Sandra B Chapman
    Abstract:

    Virtual reality appears to be a promising and motivating platform to safely practice and rehearse social skills for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). However, the literature to date is subject to limitations in elucidating the effectiveness of these virtual reality interventions. This study investigated the impact of a Virtual Reality Social Cognition Training to enhance social skills in children with ASD. Thirty children between the ages of 7-16 diagnosed with ASD completed 10, 1-h sessions across 5 weeks. Three primary domains were measured pre-post: emotion recognition, social attribution, attention and executive function. Results revealed improvements on measures of emotion recognition, social attribution, and executive function of analogical reasoning. These preliminary findings suggest that the use of a virtual reality platform offers an effective treatment option for improving social impairments commonly found in ASD. The VR-SCT provides an interactive and stimulating approach for children with ASD.The VR-SCT can improve social cognitive skills in children with ASD.Training improved emotion recognition, social attribution, and executive function.The training is a safe and socially non-threatening platform.

  • Virtual reality social cognition training for young adults with High-Functioning Autism
    Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2013
    Co-Authors: Michelle R. Kandalaft, Nyaz Didehbani, Tandra T. Allen, Daniel C. Krawczyk, Sandra B Chapman
    Abstract:

    Few evidence-based social interventions exist for young adults with High-Functioning Autism, many of whom encounter significant challenges during the transi- tion into adulthood. The current study investigated the feasibility of an engaging Virtual Reality Social Cognition Training intervention focused on enhancing social skills, social cognition, and social functioning. Eight young adults diagnosed with High-Functioning Autism completed 10 sessions across 5 weeks. Significant increases on social cognitive measures of theory of mind and emotion recog- nition, as well as in real life social and occupational functioning were found post-training. These findings sug- gest that the virtual reality platform is a promising tool for improving social skills, cognition, and functioning in Autism.

Gagan Joshi - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

Sally Wheelwright - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • narrative discourse in adults with high functioning Autism or asperger syndrome
    Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2008
    Co-Authors: Livia Colle, Simon Baroncohen, Sally Wheelwright, Heather K J Van Der Lely
    Abstract:

    We report a study comparing the narrative abilities of 12 adults with High-Functioning Autism (HFA) or Asperger Syndrome (AS) versus 12 matched controls. The study focuses on the use of referential expressions (temporal expressions and anaphoric pronouns) during a story-telling task. The aim was to assess pragmatics skills in people with HFA/AS in whom linguistic impairments are more subtle than in classic Autism. We predicted no significant differences in general narrative abilities between the two groups, but specific pragmatic deficits in people with AS. We predicted they use fewer personal pronouns, temporal expressions and referential expressions, which require theory of mind abilities. Results confirmed both predictions. These findings provide initial evidence of how social impairments can produce mild linguistic impairments.

  • the empathy quotient an investigation of adults with asperger syndrome or high functioning Autism and normal sex differences
    Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2004
    Co-Authors: Simon Baroncohen, Sally Wheelwright
    Abstract:

    Empathy is an essential part of normal social functioning, yet there are precious few instruments for measuring individual differences in this domain. In this article we review psychological theories of empathy and its measurement. Previous instruments that purport to measure this have not always focused purely on empathy. We report a new self-report questionnaire, the Empathy Quotient (EQ), for use with adults of normal intelligence. It contains 40 empathy items and 20 filler/control items. On each empathy item a person can score 2, 1, or 0, so the EQ has a maximum score of 80 and a minimum of zero. In Study 1 we employed the EQ with n = 90 adults (65 males, 25 females) with Asperger Syndrome (AS) or High-Functioning Autism (HFA), who are reported clinically to have difficulties in empathy. The adults with AS/HFA scored significantly lower on the EQ than n = 90 (65 males, 25 females) age-matched controls. Of the adults with AS/HFA, 81% scored equal to or fewer than 30 points out of 80, compared with only 12% of controls. In Study 2 we carried out a study of n = 197 adults from a general population, to test for previously reported sex differences (female superiority) in empathy. This confirmed that women scored significantly higher than men. The EQ reveals both a sex difference in empathy in the general population and an empathy deficit in AS/HFA.

  • the reading the mind in the eyes test revised version a study with normal adults and adults with asperger syndrome or high functioning Autism
    Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2001
    Co-Authors: Simon Baroncohen, Sally Wheelwright, Jacqueline J Hill, Yogini Raste, Ian Plumb
    Abstract:

    In 1997 in this Journal we published the ‘‘Reading the Mind in the Eyes’’ Test, as a measure of adult ‘‘mentalising’’. Whilst that test succeeded in discriminating a group of adults with Asperger syndrome (AS) or High-Functioning Autism (HFA) from controls, it suered from several psychometric problems. In this paper these limitations are rectified by revising the test. The Revised Eyes Test was administered to a group of adults with AS or HFA (N fl 15) and again discriminated these from a large number of normal controls (N fl 239) drawn from dierent samples. In both the clinical and control groups the Eyes Test was inversely correlated with the Autism Spectrum Quotient (the AQ), a measure of autistic traits in adults of normal intelligence. The Revised Eyes Test has improved power to detect subtle individual dierences in social sensitivity.

  • the Autism spectrum quotient aq evidence from asperger syndrome high functioning Autism males and females scientists and mathematicians
    Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2001
    Co-Authors: Simon Baroncohen, Sally Wheelwright, Richard Skinner, Joanne Martin, Emma Clubley
    Abstract:

    Currently there are no brief, self-administered instruments for measuring the degree to which an adult with normal intelligence has the traits associated with the autistic spectrum. In this paper, we report on a new instrument to assess this: the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Individuals score in the range 0-50. Four groups of subjects were assessed: Group 1: 58 adults with Asperger syndrome (AS) or High-Functioning Autism (HFA); Group 2: 174 randomly selected controls. Group 3: 840 students in Cambridge University; and Group 4: 16 winners of the UK Mathematics Olympiad. The adults with AS/HFA had a mean AQ score of 35.8 (SD = 6.5), significantly higher than Group 2 controls (M = 16.4, SD = 6.3). 80% of the adults with AS/HFA scored 32+, versus 2% of controls. Among the controls, men scored slightly but significantly higher than women. No women scored extremely highly (AQ score 34+) whereas 4% of men did so. Twice as many men (40%) as women (21%) scored at intermediate levels (AQ score 20+). Among the AS/HFA group, male and female scores did not differ significantly. The students in Cambridge University did not differ from the randomly selected control group, but scientists (including mathematicians) scored significantly higher than both humanities and social sciences students, confirming an earlier study that autistic conditions are associated with scientific skills. Within the sciences, mathematicians scored highest. This was replicated in Group 4, the Mathematics Olympiad winners scoring significantly higher than the male Cambridge humanities students. 6% of the student sample scored 32+ on the AQ. On interview, 11 out of 11 of these met three or more DSM-IV criteria for AS/HFA, and all were studying sciences/mathematics, and 7 of the 11 met threshold on these criteria. Test-retest and interrater reliability of the AQ was good. The AQ is thus a valuable instrument for rapidly quantifying where any given individual is situated on the continuum from Autism to normality. Its potential for screening for Autism spectrum conditions in adults of normal intelligence remains to be fully explored.

Kai Vogeley - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • dissociating animacy processing in high functioning Autism neural correlates of stimulus properties and subjective ratings
    Social Neuroscience, 2014
    Co-Authors: Bojana Kuzmanovic, Gary Bente, Leonhard Schilbach, Alexandra L Georgescu, Hanna Kockler, Natacha S Santos, Jon N Shah, Gereon R Fink, Kai Vogeley
    Abstract:

    When movements indicate meaningful actions, even nonbiological objects induce the impression of “having a mind” or animacy. This basic social ability was investigated in adults with High-Functioning Autism (HFA, n = 13, and matched controls, n = 13) by systematically varying motion properties of simple geometric shapes. Critically, trial-by-trial variations of (1) motion complexity of stimuli, and of (2) participants’ individual animacy ratings were separately correlated with neural activity to dissociate cognitive strategies relying more closely on stimulus analysis vs. subjective experience. Increasing motion complexity did not yield any significant group differences, and in both groups, it correlated with neural activity in regions involved in perceptual and evaluative processing, including the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), superior temporal gyrus (STG) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). In contrast, although there were no significant behavioral differences between the groups, increasing ...

  • The Use of Virtual Characters to Assess and Train Non-Verbal Communication in High-Functioning Autism
    Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2014
    Co-Authors: Alexandra Livia Georgescu, Gary Bente, Bojana Kuzmanović, Daniel Roth, Kai Vogeley
    Abstract:

    High-Functioning Autism (HFA) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, which is characterized by life-long socio-communicative impairments on the one hand and preserved verbal and general learning and memory abilities on the other. One of the areas where particular difficulties are observable is the understanding of non-verbal communication cues. Thus, investigating the underlying psychological processes and neural mechanisms of non-verbal communication in HFA allows a better understanding of this disorder, and potentially enables the development of more efficient forms of psychotherapy and trainings. However, the research on non-verbal information processing in HFA faces several methodological challenges. The use of virtual characters (VCs) helps to overcome such challenges by enabling an ecologically valid experience of social presence, and by providing an experimental platform that can be systematically and fully controlled. To make this field of research accessible to a broader audience, we elaborate in the first part of the review the validity of using VCs in non-verbal behavior research on HFA, and we review current relevant paradigms and findings from social-cognitive neuroscience. In the second part, we argue for the use of VCs as either agents or avatars in the context of "transformed social interactions." This allows for the implementation of real-time social interaction in virtual experimental settings, which represents a more sensitive measure of socio-communicative impairments in HFA. Finally, we argue that VCs and environments are a valuable assistive, educational and therapeutic tool for HFA.

  • neural correlates of social gaze processing in high functioning Autism under systematic variation of gaze duration
    Cognitive Science, 2014
    Co-Authors: Alexandra L Georgescu, Gary Bente, Bojana Kuzmanovic, Leonhard Schilbach, Rebecca Kulbida, Ralf Tepest, Kai Vogeley
    Abstract:

    Neural Correlates of “Social Gaze” Processing in High Functioning Autism Under Systematic Variation of Gaze Duration Alexandra Georgescu University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Bojana Kuzmanovic Institute of Neurosciences and Medicine – Ethics in the Neurosciences (INM-8), Research Center Juelich, Juelich, Germany Leonhard Schilbach University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Rebecca Kulbida University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Ralf Tepest University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Gary Bente Department of Psychology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Kai Vogeley University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Keywords: ; ; ; Abstract: Direct gaze is a salient nonverbal signal for social interest and the intention to communicate. In particular, the duration of another’s direct gaze can modulate our perception of the social meaning of gaze cues. However, both poor eye contact and deficits in social cognitive processing of gaze are specific diagnostic features of Autism. Therefore, investigating neural mechanisms of gaze may provide key insights into the neural mechanisms related to autistic symptoms. Employing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a parametric design, we investigated the neural correlates of the influence of gaze direction and gaze duration on person perception in individuals with High-Functioning Autism (HFA) and a matched control group. For this purpose, dynamically animated faces of virtual characters, displaying averted or direct gaze of different durations (1 sec, 2.5 sec and 4 sec) were evaluated on a four-point likeability scale. Behavioral results revealed that HFA participants showed no significant difference in likeability ratings depending on gaze duration, while the control group rated the virtual characters as increasingly likeable with increasing gaze duration. On the neural level, direct gaze and increasing direct gaze duration recruit regions of the social neural network (SNN) in control participants, indicating the processing of social salience and a perceived communicative intent. In participants with HFA however, regions of the social neural network were more engaged by averted and decreasing amounts of gaze, while the neural response for processing direct gaze in HFA was not suggestive of any social information processing.

  • neural correlates of social gaze processing in high functioning Autism under systematic variation of gaze duration
    NeuroImage: Clinical, 2013
    Co-Authors: Alexandra L Georgescu, Gary Bente, Bojana Kuzmanovic, Leonhard Schilbach, Rebecca Kulbida, Ralf Tepest, Kai Vogeley
    Abstract:

    Direct gaze is a salient nonverbal signal for social interest and the intention to communicate. In particular, the duration of another's direct gaze can modulate our perception of the social meaning of gaze cues. However, both poor eye contact and deficits in social cognitive processing of gaze are specific diagnostic features of Autism. Therefore, investigating neural mechanisms of gaze may provide key insights into the neural mechanisms related to autistic symptoms. Employing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a parametric design, we investigated the neural correlates of the influence of gaze direction and gaze duration on person perception in individuals with High-Functioning Autism (HFA) and a matched control group. For this purpose, dynamically animated faces of virtual characters, displaying averted or direct gaze of different durations (1 s, 2.5 s and 4 s) were evaluated on a four-point likeability scale. Behavioral results revealed that HFA participants showed no significant difference in likeability ratings depending on gaze duration, while the control group rated the virtual characters as increasingly likeable with increasing gaze duration. On the neural level, direct gaze and increasing direct gaze duration recruit regions of the social neural network (SNN) in control participants, indicating the processing of social salience and a perceived communicative intent. In participants with HFA however, regions of the social neural network were more engaged by averted and decreasing amounts of gaze, while the neural response for processing direct gaze in HFA was not suggestive of any social information processing.

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