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),...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
This study addressed the relationship between emotion recognition and Theory of Mind (ToM) in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Emotion recognition was measured with the Eprime Emotion...Show moreThis study addressed the relationship between emotion recognition and Theory of Mind (ToM) in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Emotion recognition was measured with the Eprime Emotion Recognition. ToM was measured with the Social Cognitive Skills Test. The ASD-group consisted of 28 children between 9 – 16,9 years old (M = 11,8). The control group consisted of 85 children between the age of 9 – 14,2 (M = 10,6). Significant correlations were found between sadness and ToM in both groups. A possible explanation is that emotions have shared brain structures, but also their ‘own’ pathways, with the exception of sadness. It might be that sadness mostly uses shared brain structures, which also play a considerable role in ToM.Show less
With this master thesis research is conducted using two clarifying theories of autism spectrum disorder (ASD); namely the influence of Theory of Mind (ToM) and Executive Functions (EF) on the...Show moreWith this master thesis research is conducted using two clarifying theories of autism spectrum disorder (ASD); namely the influence of Theory of Mind (ToM) and Executive Functions (EF) on the social behavior of children with ASD and normal developed children. The average age of these children was between 10;6 and 10;7 years. In this research 27 children participated diagnosed with ASD and 83 healthy children participated as control group. Also the parents of both groups of children participated, and were required to fill in questionnaires. Social skills were measured with the help of the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS), and executive skills were measured using the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX). Furthermore, ToM skills of 27 children with ASD and 83 children from the control group were identified, using the Social Cognitive Skills Test (SCVT). Findings in this study do not confirm the hypothesis that ToM and EF are important theories in relation to the development of social skills by the ASS group. However, in the control group EF appeared to be a good predictor for social behavior.Show less
