Stability and change in social interaction style of children with autism spectrum disorder: A 4-year follow-up study.
Anke M Scheeren, Hans M Koot, Sander Begeer
PMID 31472004WHAT IT FOUND
Most adolescents with autism kept the same social style over four years, but some became more typical and others less active.
A drop in autism symptom scores predicted becoming more typical. Language ability and age did not predict change.
Key findings
0169% of participants showed stability in their social interaction style from Time 1 to Time 2.
02Participants whose autism symptom scores decreased were significantly more likely to shift to a typical or more active social style.
03Receptive verbal IQ and age were not significant predictors of change in social interaction style.
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 (n=55) and consisted mostly of boys with normal intellectual abilities, limiting generalizability to girls, individuals with intellectual disabilities, or those with severe autism. There was a very high attrition rate (65%) between the initial study and the follow-up, although the researchers stated that the remaining participants did not differ significantly from those who dropped out. The assessment of social interaction style relied entirely on parent reports, which may be less accurate during adolescence as children seek more autonomy and parents have less insight into their peer interactions. The study did not include enough participants with an 'aloof' social style to draw conclusions about that specific group. The association between reduced symptoms and changed social style may be influenced by 'informant overlap,' as the same parents reported on both measures.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest related to this work.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the finding that most adolescents remained stable in their social style as meaning social interaction patterns cannot change. The study showed that a reduction in overall autism symptoms was associated with a shift toward more typical social behavior, suggesting that changes in symptom severity can influence social style even if style itself is generally stable.