Chin-Chin Wu
Department of Psychology Kaohsiung Medical University
Chung-Hsin Chiang
Department of Psychology/Center for Mind, Brain and Learning National Chengchi University
The present study examined the cognitive strengths and weaknesses of young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), explored the relationship between cognitive abilities (as measured by the Mullen Scale of Early Learning; MSEL) and the symptomatology of autism, and sought to uncover the indicators for differentiating young children with ASD from those with developmental delay (DD). The ASD group consisted of 40 young children with ASD who were under 3 years of age, and the control groups consisted of young children with DD and normal developing children. Results showed that young children with ASD demonstrated poorer performance on language ability and better performance on fine motor skills. The profiles of MSEL revealed differences between children with autism and those with overall developmental delay. However, screening for autism based on the profiles of MSEL should be cautioned. Additionally, the use of ASD subtypes was required to understand the relationship between the cognitive abilities of MSEL and autistic symptoms. The results also suggested that the development quotient from MSEL would be a better cognitive indicator than age equivalence. The authors provide a developmental pattern of cognitive abilities in young children with ASD, and discuss implications for early screening and early intervention.
Keywords: young children with autism spectrum disorders, Mullen Scale of Early Learning