Distinct profiles of social skill in adults with autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia.
Kerrianne E Morrison, Amy E Pinkham, David L Penn and 3 others
PMID 28112487WHAT IT FOUND
Adults with autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia both showed poorer observed social skill than controls.
The autism group showed more repetitive movement and asked fewer questions; the schizophrenia group showed poorer nonverbal expression. Scores were linked to IQ in schizophrenia but not autism.
Key findings
01Both autism and schizophrenia groups scored lower than controls on overall social skill and several specific behaviors, including verbal content, fluency, gaze, asking questions, appropriate affect, and social anxiety.
02When directly compared, the autism group showed more repetitive movement and asked fewer questions than the schizophrenia group.
03IQ was related to overall social skill and many specific behaviors in schizophrenia, but not in autism.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The task was a three-minute role-play with a set goal, so it may not show what happens in unstructured real-life conversation. The coded behaviors were not exhaustive, so other social skills may have been missed. The autism and schizophrenia groups differed in symptoms and antipsychotic medication use, so those factors may have influenced scores; controlling for negative symptoms and medication changed some findings. The study describes observed behavior profiles, not why they occur.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these profiles as proof that targeted social-skills treatment works. The study observed group differences in a role-play and did not test an intervention.