The Graded Naming Test (GNT) is commonly used in clinical and research settings to assess nominal functions. However, normative data for the GNT is over 20 years old and norms for the older adult population are rather limited. Hence, confounding factors such as generational familiarity due to cultural changes need to be considered when applying the currently available norms. Moreover, normative data for the older population (80–97) are virtually absent. Such factors can be powerful confounds that can lead to incorrect interpretation of test scores. We gathered data for the GNT from 326 healthy controls aged between 18 and 97 years. Surprisingly, we found no decline in performance for older adults, even for the cohort aged 80–97 years (N = 40). In contrast, the youngest cohort (aged 18–29 years) performed unexpectedly below the whole sample mean. An item‐by‐item analysis revealed that five test items were unfamiliar to the youngest age cohort. To account for this generational familiarity effect, we created a revised 25‐item GNT. The performance of the youngest cohort on the 25‐item GNT was no longer below the whole sample mean. The performance of the oldest cohort (80–97 years old) on the revised GNT was characterized by a significant decline in performance for the oldest cohort with an average NART IQ. By contrast, those with a NART IQ above the average range did not show a decline. This suggests that factors such cognitive reserve arrested the decline in performance in the oldest age cohort with higher premorbid IQ.
It is well recognised that culture plays an important role in how people experience the world. However, there is limited knowledge on the impact of socio-cultural norms and values on the lives of autistic women. This qualitative study used individual semi-structured interviews to explore how eight cis-gendered autistic women, without co-occurring intellectual disabilities, describe dominant socio-cultural beliefs, values and norms and their influence on their own sense of self. Findings elucidated three interdependent themes related to the ‘pervasive influence of cultural values’, ‘individualisation as an autistic woman’ and ‘social connectivity’. Autistic women described how they experienced their environments and made choices about their place within the dominant culture and the impact of these decisions on their identities and experience. The findings of this study have implications for the continued need to shift societal and clinical attitudes towards understanding and appreciating diversity among autistic women. Lay abstract Autistic women with average or above intellectual abilities are often overlooked clinically or identified at older ages compared to autistic males. Their experiences can provide insight into the socio-cultural factors that impact on how they develop and are seen by others. This study asked autistic women to describe the culture around them and explore how this has influenced their lived experiences. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight autistic women without a co-occurring diagnosis of intellectual disabilities. These were used for interpretative phenomenological analysis. Overall, we found three closely connected themes on the pervasive influence of cultural values on autistic women, how autistic women define themselves and the importance of connecting with society. These findings suggest that dominant cultural beliefs, values and norms effect how autistic women are recognised by others and develop their sense of self. Broadening how people think about autistic women in society and clinically may benefit how we identify and support autistic women.
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