For Autistic Kids, IQ May Not Predict School Achievement

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Executive Health November 23, 2010,

For Autistic Kids, IQ May Not Predict School Achievement

About half did better and half did worse than their intelligence test scores

would suggest, study finds

By Jenifer Goodwin

HealthDay Reporter

HealthDay/ScoutNews LLC

TUESDAY, Nov. 23 (HealthDay News) -- IQ is typically a good predictor of

academic performance, but not necessarily in autistic children, a new study

shows.

Researchers tested the IQs and reading, spelling and math abilities of 30,

" high-functioning " 9-year-old autistic children. Researchers also assessed the

children's social functioning through parental and teacher reports at ages 6 and

9.

In 90 percent of the children, their academic achievement diverged substantially

from predictions based on their intelligence-test scores.

So did the autistic kids do better or worse than expected?

The answer: both. Some did more poorly on academic tests than their IQs would

indicate, while some did better than their IQs would suggest.

The breakdown was about half and half. Eighteen children did better on at least

one academic test, particularly spelling and word recognition, than their IQs

would predict, while 18 did worse on each test, suggesting a possible learning

disability in that specific area.

" Ninety percent of the kids had a discrepancy. We didn't expect it to be such a

common occurrence, " said study author Annette Estes, a research assistant

professor at the University of Washington Autism Center in Seattle. " In most

typically developing kids, these discrepancies are very, very rare. "

The study was published online in the Journal of Autism and Developmental

Disorders.

IQ, or intelligence quotient, is assessed using standardized tests. An average

score is 100, and normal is anything 15 points above or below 100. Prior

research has shown that in the general population, IQ scores are a good

predictor of academic performance.

Early diagnosis and early behavioral interventions are helping kids with an

autism spectrum disorder make rapid strides that decades ago would have been

unlikely, Estes said.

Up to 70 percent of autistic children are considered high-functioning, which in

this study was defined as an IQ of 70 or above, although most had an IQ in the

average or above-average range.

Researchers found no association between problem behavior and academic

achievement.

But social skills did seem to matter in how well kids did at school. Children

who had higher social skills at age 6, including such skills as introducing

themselves to others and understanding compromise and cooperation, had better

word reading skills at age 9.

The next step for researchers is to determine how the children actually do in

the classroom, Estes said.

Questions she'd like to answer are whether teachers and others recognize the

children with the higher IQs and academic abilities, or if social and

communication difficulties hold them back, and, conversely, do they identify

kids who have a learning disability in one particular area?

" Some may be really excellent at math, but because of attention problems that

might not be recognized, " Estes said. " Or, if the child seems to be doing pretty

well, maybe people aren't aware that they are struggling in certain areas. "

Future studies are also needed to determine if low achievement is connected to

specific learning disabilities and to better understand high acheivement in

children with autism spectrum disorder, the researchers said.

Amy Keefer, a clinical psychologist at the Kennedy Krieger Institute's Center

for Autism and Related Disorders in Baltimore, said she often sees such

divergences between intelligence scores and certain academic skills in her

patients with an autism spectrum disorder.

" Anecdotally, I see it happening a lot, " Keefer said. " It highlights how complex

the neurocognitive profile is for high-functioning kids with ASD and that

complexity is what leads to these unusual patterns in academic achievement. "

Reading comprehension is a common area of struggle for some kids with autism,

Keefer said. Though some may be excellent readers as far as recognizing words,

they often have more difficulty understanding what they're reading.

In addition, while some kids with autism are very good at math, they excel in

doing calculations but can get thrown off when the same math problem is

presented not in numbers but as a " verbal problem. "

Figuring out how kids with autism learn best is critical, Estes said.

" Children with autism, later in development are thought to be at higher risk of

anxiety or depression, " Estes said. " Academics is a potential source of mastery

and self-esteem that, if enhanced, could buffer them from one of those

challenges. And [academic success] has implications for being able to be

successful later on in higher education and jobs. "

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more on

autism.

SOURCES: Annette Estes, Ph.D., research assistant professor, University of

Washington Autism Center, Seattle; Amy Keefer, Ph.D., clinical psychologist,

Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore;

Nov. 2, 2010, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

HealthDay.