Social competence in autism: A structural equation modeling approach.
G L Simmons, B A Corbett, M D Lerner and 2 others
PMID 38481386WHAT IT FOUND
In autistic youth, social thinking and social behavior act as separate skills.
Improving one does not automatically fix the other. Therapists should target both explicitly if the goal is genuine social understanding, rather than assuming behavioral training builds cognitive insight.
Key findings
01Social cognition and social behavior were found to be distinct constructs that did not significantly correlate with each other in the models tested.
02Caregiver reports of broad social behavior showed high redundancy, suggesting clinicians can use a single measure rather than a full battery to assess this domain.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was predominantly White, male, and from higher-income families, so findings may not apply to autistic girls or diverse populations. The study was cross-sectional (analyzing existing data), so it cannot prove that changing cognition causes changes in behavior or vice versa. The study lacked power to fully analyze differences between sexes, meaning the potential masking behaviors often seen in girls were not thoroughly examined.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by NIH grants.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of correlation as evidence that social cognition is unimportant for social success. The study shows these are separate mechanisms, not that one doesn't influence the other in real life. It warns against assuming behavioral compliance equals social understanding.