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Project

High-Functioning ASD. Really? Socio-Demographic, behavioral and neurocognitive predictors of adaptive functioning, quality of life and internalizing-externalizing problems.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by impairments in social interaction and social communication, combined with restricted, repetitive behavior patterns and interests. Underlying these behavioral problems, neurocognitive theories of ASD have focused on 1) local and global processing, 2) social cognition, and 3) executive functioning. The spectrum is characterized by a considerable amount of intra- and inter-individual variability at the level of behavioral and neurocognitive symptoms, but also the outcome (adaptive functioning, QoL and internalizingexternalizing problems) is highly diverse. Furthermore, the discrepancy between intelligence and adaptive functioning can be puzzling. In three work packages, we will investigate the relationship between an individual’s characteristics (socio-demographic, behavioral and neurocognitive variables) and outcome. Insight in this association will help us to understand and explain apparently inconsistent findings. In addition, individual developmental trajectories will be better understood, and maybe even predictable, which is of high clinical relevance, both at the level of assessment and at the level of intervention (shifting the focus of interventions towards training of neurocognitive functions).

Date:1 Oct 2015 →  13 Jan 2022
Keywords:High-Functioning ASD, adaptive functioning, quality of life, Socio-Demographic, behavioral, neurocognitive predictors, internalizing-externalizing problems
Disciplines:Developmental psychology and ageing