Intra-individual cognitive imbalance in ASD between perceptual reasoning and ambiguity-solving related to tool use: Comparison among children exhibiting ASD, AD/HD, and typical development

Efficacy of Children Neuropsychological and Behavioral Scale in Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorders through a Combination of Developmental Surveillance

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the clinical value of Children Neuropsychological and Behavioral Scale-Revision 2016 (CNBS-R2016) for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) screening in the presence of developmental surveillance.

METHODS

All participants were evaluated by the CNBS-R2016 and Gesell Developmental Schedules (GDS). Spearman's correlation coefficients and Kappa values were obtained. Taking GDS as a reference assessment, the performance of the CNBS-R2016 for detecting the developmental delays of children with ASD was analyzed with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The efficacy of the CNBS-R2016 to screen for ASD was explored by comparing Communication Warning Behavior with Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2).

RESULTS

In total, 150 children aged 12-42 months with ASD were enrolled. The developmental quotients of the CNBS-R2016 were correlated with those of the GDS (r=0.62-0.94). The CNBS-R2016 and GDS had good diagnostic agreement for developmental delays (Kappa=0.73-0.89), except for Fine Motor. There was a significant difference between the proportions of Fine Motor, delays detected by the CNBS-R2016 and GDS (86.0% vs. 77.3%). With GDS as a standard, the areas under the ROC curves of the CNBS-R2016 were above 0.95 for all the domains except Fine Motor, which was 0.70. In addition, the positive rate of ASD was 100.0% and 93.5% when the cut-off points of 7 and 12 in the Communication Warning Behavior subscale were used, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The CNBS-R2016 performed well in developmental assessment and screening for children with ASD, especially by Communication Warning Behaviors subscale. Therefore, the CNBS-R2016 is worthy of clinical application in children with ASD in China.

Prospective College Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Parent Perspectives

Young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are attending university in increasing numbers. While those with ASD may be very knowledgeable within their chosen field, a range of academic-related and nonacademic challenges may hinder their success including executive functioning challenges and interpersonal issues. The purpose of this study was to conduct a preliminary investigation into the perspective of parents of high schoolers with ASD regarding their son/daughters' transition to college. Qualitative analysis of parent interviews examined the concerns and challenges they anticipated their son/daughter might experience in a university setting, as well as supports they are seeking as they consider postsecondary options. Prominent themes that emerged as areas of concern were social skills, executive functioning, academics, campus living, and support services. These findings highlight some key potential pitfalls for students with ASD which may be useful targets for prevention and remediation, as well as informing policy for colleges and universities as they consider cost-effective interventions to improve the academic success of students with ASD.