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Adaptive Social Abilities in Autism

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Comprehensive Guide to Autism

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are defined by pervasive deficits in communication and social skills and the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors. One of the indicators of outcome for individuals with ASD is adaptive behaviors. Adaptive behaviors are defined as an “individual’s ability to translate cognitive potential into real-life skills (Klin, Volkmar, and Sparrow, J Child Psychol Psychiatry 33:861–876, 1992; Volkmar, Carter, Sparrow, and Cicchetti, J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 32:627–632, 1993).” Individuals with ASD are generally reported to show significant impairments in adaptive behaviors, particularly in comparison to their cognitive level. The profile of adaptive behaviors commonly reported for individuals with ASD consists of substantial delays in adaptive social skills, lesser delays in adaptive communication, and relatively intact daily living skills. Among adaptive skills, adaptive social behaviors are of particular interest, given that deficits and delays in social reciprocity are one of the core symptom domains defining ASDs. Many studies have focused on different factors that are associated with adaptive social functioning such as age, cognitive skills, autism symptom severity, diagnosis, and environmental resources. This chapter is intended to provide an overview of the various factors reported to affect adaptive social skill deficits in individuals with ASD. Areas for future research are also highlighted.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Yale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, 40 Temple St, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA

    So Hyun Kim

  2. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Vanessa Hus Bal

  3. Center for Autism and the Developing Brain, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division, 21 Bloomingdale Road, White Plains, NY, 10605, USA

    Catherine Lord

Authors
  1. So Hyun Kim
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  2. Vanessa Hus Bal
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  3. Catherine Lord
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to So Hyun Kim .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Westminster, Faculty of Science & Technology, London, United Kingdom

    Vinood B. Patel

  2. Nutritional Sciences Division and Genomics Centre, King's College London, London, United Kingdom

    Victor R. Preedy

  3. Faculty of Society and Health, Buckinghamshire New University, Middlesex, United Kingdom

    Colin R. Martin

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© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Kim, S.H., Bal, V.H., Lord, C. (2014). Adaptive Social Abilities in Autism. In: Patel, V., Preedy, V., Martin, C. (eds) Comprehensive Guide to Autism. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4788-7_61

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4788-7_61

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-4787-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-4788-7

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

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