The purpose of this study was to investigate sex differences in behavioral and emotional problems in high-functioning girls and boys with autism spectrum disorder. The results obtained by adolescents with autism spectrum disorder were compared with those of typically developing girls and boys. Correlations between parents’ and adolescents’ ratings were also analyzed. Participants were 35 girls and 35 boys with autism spectrum disorder, aged 11–18 years, matched for chronological age and full-scale IQ. The control group consisted of 24 typically developing girls and 24 boys of the same age and IQ. The parents of adolescent participants were also included in the study. The measures used were the Child Behavior Checklist (4–18) completed by parents and Youth Self-Report (11–18) completed by adolescents. The adolescents with autism spectrum disorder presented higher levels of behavioral and emotional problems than the control group, according to both the parents’ reports and the adolescents’ self-reports. No sex differences were found in that respect. More differences between the assessments of adolescents and their parents occurred in the control group, and the effect size was larger.
Background and aims: The links between gestures and various attentional processes in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder have not been studied sufficiently. Previous studies have highlighted the impact of orienting attention on the efficacy of gestures without exploring the influence of alerting and top-down attentional processes. The aim of the present study was to explore the links between attentional processes and indicators of descriptive, conventional and emotional gestures as well as other aspects of nonverbal communication in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (N ¼ 46). Methods: The attention network test and colour trails test were used to measure attentional processes, whereas descriptive, conventional and emotional gestures were assessed using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule and the autism diagnostic interview. Analysis showed a significant correlation between gestures with alerting, orienting and executive attention. Conclusions: The relevant structural equation model revealed that attentional processes have an impact on gestures, but gestures do not have an impact on attentional processes. Emotional gestures are linked to alerting. Spatial-visual search was related to facial expression and the integration of nonverbal communication with behaviour. There was no significant interaction between executive attention and gestures. Implications: The obtained results are discussed with reference both to gesture development and studies on attention in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.
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