Mathematical Proficiency in Adolescents with ASD.
O Cohen, N Sukenik
PMID 39592498WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents with ASD showed lower math scores overall than peers, but performance varied widely by individual.
Some had age-appropriate skills, while others struggled specifically with procedures and algebra, suggesting the need for personalized educational assessments.
Key findings
01Adolescents with ASD performed significantly worse than typically developing peers in procedural thinking and algebraic techniques, but differences in word problem solving were not significant.
02Mathematical ability among adolescents with ASD was highly heterogeneous: 9 participants showed age-equivalent proficiency, 13 had uneven profiles, and 9 had pervasive low scores.
03In typically developing adolescents, receptive vocabulary correlated with all math scores, but in adolescents with ASD, receptive vocabulary did not correlate with any math variable.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (31 with ASD), limiting the generalizability of the findings. The study included only adolescents with High-Functioning Autism who were in inclusive educational settings, so results may not apply to those with greater support needs. The mathematics test included some sub-domains with very few items (2-5), which may have reduced the reliability of those specific scores. The large standard deviations in the TD group suggest high variability even among typically developing adolescents, which may have obscured subtle differences between the groups. The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot determine how these mathematical profiles change over time.
Declared interests
The study was funded by Bar-Ilan University. No other conflicts of interest were reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that all adolescents with ASD have math difficulties. The study found that nearly a third (9 of 31) had age-equivalent mathematical proficiency, and another third had uneven profiles with strengths in some areas. Assuming a deficit based on diagnosis alone may lead to inappropriate educational placement.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →