Interests and Strengths in Autism, Useful but Misunderstood: A Pragmatic Case-Study

Abstract

Background Studies on autistic strengths are often focused on what they reveal about autistic intelligence and, in some cases, exceptional and atypical reasoning abilities. An emerging research trend has demonstrated how interests and strengths often evident in autism can be harnessed in interventions to promote the well-being, adaptive, academic and professional success of autistic people. However, abilities in certain domains may be accompanied by major limitations in others, as well as psychiatric and behavioral issues, which may challenge their inclusion in support programs. Objectives To provide an in-depth, pragmatic, real-life example of the psychological and psychiatric management of interests and strengths in an autistic adolescent. Method An autistic teenager, C.A., with above-average calendar calculation and musical abilities, received psychiatric, neuropsychological, and language standardized and clinical assessments, combined with a measurement of his musical and calendar calculation abilities. C.A. and his parents then received psychiatric and psychological support over a 14-month period, targeting their perceptions of C.A.’s interests, strengths, and co-occurring difficulties. Results C.A. had a verbal IQ within the intellectual disability range and a non-verbal IQ in the low mean range. Modest calendar calculation, absolute pitch, and matrix abilities coexisted with severe receptive and expressive language disorder. The discrepancy between his abilities in areas of strengths and his limitations in other domains led to anxiety, frustration, and sometimes behavioral issues. Displacing the focus from academic performance to interests, as well as promoting the use of his strengths to develop new skills independently of their short-term adaptive benefits yielded positive effects on C.A.’s self-assessment, quality of life, and behavior at follow up. Discussion The appealing idea that abilities mostly found in autistic people, such as calendar calculation, can be directly harnessed into academic achievement and lead to paid employment may have detrimental effects, especially when such abilities are modest and associated with other limitations. These abilities should be primarily used to maximize well-being and quality of life, independently of their short-term adaptive function, which may or may not be positive.

Non-verbal IQ and change in restricted and repetitive behavior throughout childhood in autism: a longitudinal study using the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised

“…The same logic could be applied to behaviors that tend to increase with age in autistic children with typical or high NVIQ, as these may have a positive impact on development and learning, like they have in typically developing children [ 14 , 15 , 19 ]. For example, some RRB, like circumscribed interests, could be encouraged as a strategy to promote learning in autism [ 44 , 49 , 50 ]. Finally, other behaviors which are more prevalent in autism than in other conditions, but do not seem to be a feature of autistic development per se, such as self-injury [ 51 ], warrant individualized investigation and intervention to limit their occurrence.…”

Experience of Autistic Children and Their Families During the Pandemic: From Distress to Coping Strategies

“…Several studies support the view that intense interests may be associated with well-being in autism (Courchesne et al, 2020;Davey, 2020;Grove et al, 2018;Jacques et al, 2018;South & Sunderland, 2020;Warren et al, 2020). During the pandemic, spending time on their interests was characteristic of many children and adolescents.…”

Using immersive virtual reality with autistic pupils: moving towards greater inclusion and co-participation through ethical practices

“…As such there are very specific mention to the ways autistic people can and do experience the world around them. However, and despite these characteristics (often defined by a diagnosis and diagnostic criteria) there has been a move towards researchers focussing on the strengths of autistic individuals in recent years (Courchesne et al, 2020;Lee et al, 2020). For example, research has highlighted parental perspectives of strengths of their autistic children as being: (1) technical abilities; (2) attention to detail; (3) trustworthiness; (4) kindness; (5) expertise in a specific area; (6) creative skills; (7) strong sense of morality; and (8) loyalty (Lee et al, 2020).…”

“…As such there are very specific mention to the ways autistic people can and do experience the world around them. However, and despite these characteristics (often defined by a diagnosis and diagnostic criteria) there has been a move towards researchers focussing on the strengths of autistic individuals in recent years (Courchesne et al. , 2020; Lee et al.…”