Intra-individual cognitive imbalance in ASD between perceptual reasoning and ambiguity-solving related to tool use: Comparison among children exhibiting ASD, AD/HD, and typical development

Publication date: Available online 24 July 2017
Source:Brain and Development
Author(s): Keisuke Wakusawa, Chieko Nara, Yuki Kubota, Yayoi Tomizawa, Yasuyuki Taki, Yuko Sassa, Satoru Kobayashi, Sato Suzuki-Muromoto, Mieko Hirose, Hiroyuki Yokoyama, Takahiro Nara, Shigeo Kure, Norio Mori, Noriyoshi Takei, Ryuta Kawashima
ObjectiveSeveral studies have suggested that objective deficits in the processing of abstract information in conjunction with an enhanced ability to process concrete information is a definitive characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, this cognitive imbalance is not necessarily clear in high-functioning autistic individuals who do not display absolute differences relative to typically developing (TD) populations. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify this cognitive tendency in high-functioning autistic individuals using intra-individual cognitive comparisons.MethodsThe reaction times (RTs) of TD children, children with ASD, and children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) (n=17 in each group, mean age=11.9years, age range=9.8–15.8years) were compared using the Which/How-to-Apply Tools (W/HAT) test, which consists of tasks requiring the adaptive use of novel tools and familiar tools in atypical and typical situations. Differences in RTs between the atypical and typical trials ([A–T]) were used to assess intra-individual cognitive imbalances.ResultsAs predicted, the [A–T] scores of the ASD group were significantly higher than those of the TD group even though the RTs in the atypical and typical trials did not differ. Additionally, the [A–T] values were significantly higher in the ASD group than in the AD/HD group, which indicates that the cognitive imbalance was specific to ASD individuals. No significant interaction was detected between the trial and subject group.ConclusionsThe findings of this study demonstrate that a cognitive imbalance in ASD individuals may enhance the current understanding of the pathophysiology of this disorder, which is found in a range of individuals, including those with obvious cortical dysfunction to those with only intra-individual imbalances.



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