Over-Selectivity is Related to Autism Quotient and Empathizing, But not to Systematizing.
Phil Reed
PMID 28132122WHAT IT FOUND
Higher autistic-trait scores and lower empathy scores were linked to over-selectivity in 80 nonclinical adults.
Over-selectivity means responding to one cue rather than several. Systemizing scores were not linked. No treatment effect was tested.
Key findings
01The higher AQ group (n = 32) showed a significant difference between the most and least selected elements; the lower AQ group (n = 48) did not.
02The lower EQ group (n = 47) showed a significant difference between the most and least selected elements; the higher EQ group (n = 33) did not.
03Systemizing scores were not significantly related to over-selectivity in the group comparisons or the regression analyses.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The participants were adults from the general public, not people diagnosed with autism or people receiving therapy, so the findings may not apply to clinical patients. Psychiatric and neurological problems were screened only by self-report, and people older than 60 were excluded. The study measured questionnaire scores and a laboratory choice task at one time, so it cannot show that AQ or EQ causes over-selectivity. Empathy was measured by self-report, and the study did not measure speech, language, or social communication outcomes. No treatment was tested, so the paper gives no evidence about changing therapy.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that people with diagnosed autism show this pattern or that therapy can change it. The study tested nonclinical adults on a laboratory task and did not measure communication outcomes or treatment effects.