I found this article interesting:
Evidence for Latent Classes of IQ In Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
(bolding is mine, italics are my additions)
Quote:
(...) Furthermore, distinctions between verbal and nonverbal information processing abilities are often not explored, but may be important in identifying subtypes in autism. Tager-Flusberg and Joseph (2003) investigated discrepancies between verbal and nonverbal IQ in children with autism and found children with discrepantly high nonverbal skills relative to verbal skills had greater social impairment independent of absolute level of verbal ability and overall ability.
Quote:
Children who were lower-functioning as defined by nonverbal IQ at pre-school tended to show poorer outcome at school age, suggesting that nonverbal IQ is an extremely potent predictor membership among school-age children.
Quote:
Diagnosis of ASD was based on administration of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Generic and Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised. All of the children met criteria for autism (N=357, 78%) or autism spectrum disorder (N= 99, 22%) on the ADOS-G. Nearly all of the children met criteria for a diagnosis of autism on the ADI-R (N=431, 95%) with the remaining 25 children (from 456) within 2 pts of a diagnosis of autism on the ADI-R.
So, the study is primarily relevant to those who are diagnosed with classic autism.
Quote:
In the present paper, both LCA (latent class analysis) and maximum covariance (MAXCOV), the most widely studied taxometric algorithm, were used to address the question of whether subgroups of ASD can be identified from the verbal and nonverbal IQ scores of probands.
To summarize, although it is unclear whether distinct subtypes of autism exist, a recurring pattern emerges in which IQ strongly predicts social functioning, adaptive behavior, severity of symptoms, and prognosis (Coplan & Jawad, 2005; Howlin, Goode, Hutton, & Rutter, 2004; Bolte & Poustka, 2002; Liss et al., 2001; Carpentieri & Morgan, 1996).
Quote:
Means on the Mullen IQ scores for the four groups identified in the 4 groups LCA solution are illustrated in Figure 1. Rather than simply reflecting overall differences in intellectual functioning these groups illustrate striking differences in both the absolute level of functioning as well as the relative abilities of the verbal and nonverbal areas. The lowest group (59% of the sample) was characterized by extremely low verbal scores as well as very low nonverbal scores with an average difference between verbal and nonverbal scores of 22 points. The second group (12.5%) was similar, however, the discrepancy between verbal and nonverbal scores in this group was even more extreme, with nonverbal scores averaging 42 points higher than verbal scores. The third group (21.7%) showed moderate to mild level of impairment with scores in the 60–70 range with verbal abilities commensurate with nonverbal abilities. The final group (7.0%) reflect a subgroup of children functioning in the average range again with verbal and nonverbal areas at roughly comparable levels. This fourth group was the only one in which the pair of verbal or nonverbal subtests showed a widely different pattern. In this group the visual reception scale was much notable higher than the fine motor scale.
My note: The scores I got on WAIS have a striking resemblance to this fourth group identified, as my verbal and non-verbal scores are roughly equal, while there is a large split between visual perception scale and processing speed scale, the latter being much lower (processing speed scale is roughly the same as fine motor scale). This supports my notion that my PDD-NOS diagnosis is essentially a HFA diagnosis rather than Asperger's, especially if one considers the NVLD-subtype.
Quote:
Despite the striking difference in levels of cognitive functioning between groups 3 and 4, this did not translate into systematic differences in adaptive functioning or level of autism symptoms as measured by the ADOS and ADI.
We also found that LCA group membership accounted for significant proportion of the variability of Vineland socialization, communication, daily living skills, and ADI social scores beyond that accounted for by the Mullen verbal IQ and nonverbal IQ scores. This provides additional evidence of the importance of considering IQ in young children with ASD more than simply a single dimension. Indeed, the results presented here suggest that there is more than a simple linear relationship between intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior and autism symptoms, even when independently measuring both verbal and nonverbal intellectual abilities.
Quote:
In summary, by examining a large, well-characterized sample of preschool children with ASD, these findings provide an important evidence of the presence of multiple IQ-based subgroups within autism. Four latent classes were identified, that represent a very different levels of intellectual functioning as well as different patterns of relative verbal versus nonverbal abilities. Group membership was found to relate to adaptive functioning and social impairment, above and beyond the direct relationship of verbal and nonverbal IQ. Cross-sectional samples such as this must be complemented with longitudinal data as variability in course represents yet another area of heterogeneity in autism where much remains to be learned.
The selection of quotes may be a bit arbitrary and subjective, so I suggest reading the whole article. You get the idea, though.
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Another non-English speaking - DX'd at age 38
"Aut viam inveniam aut faciam." (Hannibal) - Latin for "I'll either find a way or make one."
27 Jun 2012, 2:01 pm
I guess they just don't care)
