Leiden University Student Repository

Plambeck, Arianne (2012)

Een slimmere autist minder angstig?!: De invloed van het intelligentieniveau op de hoeveelheid en de vorm van sociale angst bij jongens en meisjes met en zonder een autismespectrumstoornis

Master thesis | Education and Child Studies (MSc)

This study examined the influence of the level of intelligence on the level and form of social anxiety (SA) in boys and girls with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children (n = 160), between eight and eighteen years old with a mean age of 11.0 years (SD = 1.7), with ASD (n = 50) and without ASD (n = 110) completed the subtests Vocabulary and Block Patterns from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale of Children-III (WISC-III-NL) and the Social Anxiety Scale for Children (SAS-k). Also other factors are taken into account, namely difference between several types of ASD, verbal and performance intelligence, forms of SA and gender in relation to SA. Children with ASD reported more SA than children without ASD, and SA is linked to the level of intelligence, in the sense that the higher the level of intelligence, the lower the level of SA. Children experienced more SA in situations which demand their intellectual skills and their outward appearance in social situations. Furthermore,...Show moreThis study examined the influence of the level of intelligence on the level and form of social anxiety (SA) in boys and girls with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children (n = 160), between eight and eighteen years old with a mean age of 11.0 years (SD = 1.7), with ASD (n = 50) and without ASD (n = 110) completed the subtests Vocabulary and Block Patterns from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale of Children-III (WISC-III-NL) and the Social Anxiety Scale for Children (SAS-k). Also other factors are taken into account, namely difference between several types of ASD, verbal and performance intelligence, forms of SA and gender in relation to SA. Children with ASD reported more SA than children without ASD, and SA is linked to the level of intelligence, in the sense that the higher the level of intelligence, the lower the level of SA. Children experienced more SA in situations which demand their intellectual skills and their outward appearance in social situations. Furthermore, children with a higher level of verbal intelligence reported a lower level of SA compared with children with a lower level of verbal intelligence. At last, children with autism reported a higher level of SA compared with children with Asperger's Syndrome or children without ASD. These findings demonstrate the relationship between children with ASD and the level of SA and the influence of intelligence. Also the importance of intelligence tests in the initiation of clinical treatment.Show less

social anxiety

intelligence

autism spectrum disorder

children

sociale angst

intelligentieniveau

autismespectrumstoornis

kinderen

Author

Plambeck, Arianne

Faculty

Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences

Specialisation

MA Orthopedagogiek

Supervisors

Zantinge, G.M.

ECTS Credits

20

Language

nl