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Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction alongside restrictive and repetitive behaviors or interests. ASD is sometimes accompanied by intellectual impairment.
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Parallel age-related cognitive effects in autism: A cross-sectional replication study.

Carolien Torenvliet¹, Annabeth P Groenman¹, Tulsi A Radhoe¹

¹Dutch Autism & ADHD Research Center, Brain & Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Autism Research : Official Journal of the International Society for Autism Research

|December 4, 2021

Summary

Cognitive aging in autistic adults shows parallel effects, with persistent difficulties in Theory of Mind (ToM) and verbal fluency, but no protective age-related patterns were found in this replication study.

Keywords:

Bayesian analyses aging autism cognition gerontology replication

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Psychology
Gerontology

Background:

Cognitive aging in autistic adults is inconsistently reported, necessitating replication studies.
Methodological differences across studies contribute to inconsistent findings on age-related cognitive effects in autism.
Understanding cognitive aging in autism is crucial for supporting autistic individuals throughout their lifespan.

Purpose of the Study:

To replicate previous findings on age-related cognitive effects in autistic adults compared to non-autistic adults.
To investigate whether parallel or protective age-related cognitive effects are observed in autistic adults.
To examine cognitive performance across six domains in adulthood, considering age interactions.

Main Methods:

A replication study involving 88 autistic adults and 88 matched non-autistic comparisons (age range: 30-89 years).
Cognitive assessments included verbal memory, visual memory, working memory, Theory of Mind (ToM), verbal fluency, and processing speed.
Frequentist and Bayesian statistical analyses were employed to test hypotheses regarding group and age interactions.

Main Results:

Non-autistic adults outperformed autistic adults in ToM, verbal fluency, and verbal memory; Bayesian analyses confirmed ToM and verbal fluency differences.
Autistic adults reported more cognitive failures than non-autistic adults.
No significant interactions between group and age were found, indicating parallel age-related cognitive effects across both groups.

Conclusions:

Difficulties in Theory of Mind (ToM) and verbal fluency previously observed in autistic adults were replicated and appear to persist into older age.
Parallel age-related cognitive patterns were replicated, but no evidence for protective age-related effects (i.e., slower cognitive aging) in autism was found.
The findings suggest that while aging affects autistic and non-autistic adults similarly, specific cognitive challenges in autism remain consistent across the adult lifespan.