Dyck M J, Ferguson K, Shochet I M
School of Psychology, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia.
Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2001 Jun;10(2):105-16. doi: 10.1007/s007870170033.
We tested whether dimensional measures of empathic ability, theory of mind, and intelligence would differentiate autism spectrum disorders from each other and from non-spectrum disorders. Tests were administered to children with a diagnosis of Autistic Disorder (AutD; n = 20), Asperger's Disorder (AspD; n = 28), Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Inattentive Type) (ADHD; n = 35), Mental Retardation (Mild) (MR; n = 34), Anxiety Disorder (AnxD; n = 14), or No Psychological Disorder (NPD; n = 36). Results showed that empathic ability discriminated among groups on the autism spectrum (AutD < AspD < NPD). Because empathic ability is not independent of intelligence (AutD < AspD < NPD on intelligence; MR < ADHD < NPD on empathic ability), both dimensions are necessary to discriminate autism spectrum from non-spectrum disorders. When intelligence is covaried, empathic ability discriminated AutD, but not AspD, from other disorders (AutD < MR < ADHD < NPD = AnxD = AspD).
我们测试了共情能力、心理理论和智力的维度测量是否能区分自闭症谱系障碍之间以及与非谱系障碍的差异。对被诊断为孤独症（AutD；n = 20）、阿斯伯格综合征（AspD；n = 28）、注意力缺陷/多动障碍（注意力不集中型）（ADHD；n = 35）、轻度智力障碍（MR；n = 34）、焦虑症（AnxD；n = 14）或无心理障碍（NPD；n = 36）的儿童进行了测试。结果表明，共情能力在自闭症谱系的不同群体间存在差异（AutD < AspD < NPD）。由于共情能力并非独立于智力（在智力方面AutD < AspD < NPD；在共情能力方面MR < ADHD < NPD），因此这两个维度对于区分自闭症谱系障碍和非谱系障碍都是必要的。当将智力作为协变量时，共情能力能够区分AutD与其他障碍，但不能区分AspD与其他障碍（AutD < MR < ADHD < NPD = AnxD = AspD）。
