Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
Department of Comparative Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
Autism Res. 2021 Jan;14(1):86-92. doi: 10.1002/aur.2409. Epub 2020 Oct 14.
Impairment in social interaction is a core feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the factors which contribute to this social skill deficiency are poorly understood. Previous research has shown that cognitive ability can impact social skill development in ASD. Yet, children with ASD whose cognitive abilities are in the normal range nevertheless demonstrate deficits in social skill. More recently, the social motivation theory of ASD has emerged as a framework by which to understand how failure to seek social experiences may lead to social skill deficits. This study was designed to better understand the relationships between cognitive ability, social motivation, and social skill in a well-characterized cohort of children with ASD (n = 79), their unaffected siblings (n = 50), and unrelated neurotypical controls (n = 60). The following instruments were used: The Stanford-Binet intelligence quotient (IQ), the Social Responsiveness Scale's Social Motivation Subscale, and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales' Socialization Standard Score. We found that lower cognitive ability contributed to diminished social skill, but did so universally in all children. In contrast, social motivation strongly predicted social skill only in children with ASD, such that those with the lowest social motivation exhibited the greatest social skill impairment. Notably, this relationship was observed across a large range of intellectual ability but was most pronounced in those with IQs ≥ 80. These findings establish a unique link between social motivation and social skill in ASD and support the hypothesis that low social motivation may impair social skill acquisition in this disorder, particularly in children without intellectual disability. LAY SUMMARY: The relationships between cognitive ability, social motivation, and social skill are poorly understood. Here we report that cognitive ability predicts social skill in all children, whereas social motivation predicts social skill only in children with autism. These results establish a unique link between social motivation and social skill in autism, and suggest that low social motivation may impair social skill acquisition in this disorder, particularly in those without intellectual disability.
社交互动障碍是自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的核心特征，但导致这种社交技能缺陷的因素还了解甚少。先前的研究表明，认知能力可以影响 ASD 患者的社交技能发展。然而，认知能力在正常范围内的 ASD 儿童仍然表现出社交技能缺陷。最近，ASD 的社会动机理论已经出现，成为理解为什么未能寻求社交体验可能导致社交技能缺陷的框架。本研究旨在更好地理解在一个特征明确的 ASD 儿童队列（n=79）、未受影响的兄弟姐妹（n=50）和无关的神经典型对照组（n=60）中，认知能力、社会动机和社交技能之间的关系。使用了以下工具：斯坦福-比奈智商（IQ）、社会反应量表的社会动机子量表和 Vineland 适应行为量表的社交标准得分。我们发现，较低的认知能力导致社交技能下降，但在所有儿童中都是如此。相比之下，社会动机强烈预测 ASD 儿童的社交技能，以至于那些社会动机最低的儿童表现出最大的社交技能障碍。值得注意的是，这种关系在很大的智力能力范围内都观察到，但在智商≥80 的儿童中最为明显。这些发现为 ASD 中的社会动机和社交技能之间建立了独特的联系，并支持低社会动机可能损害该障碍中社交技能习得的假设，特别是在没有智力残疾的儿童中。
