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Cognitive Styles in High-Functioning Adolescents with Autistic Disorder

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders volume 31, pages 55–66 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

This study addressed the operationalization, the identification, and the prevalence of weak central coherence and poor cognitive shifting in 35 high-functioning adolescents with autism. Central coherence and cognitive shifting were represented by two factors in a factor analysis, each reflecting a constituent aspect of the domain in question. With regard to central coherence, these aspects were the ability of piecemeal processing and the ability to process meaning. The aspects related to cognitive shifting concerned internally and externally controlled shifting. Weak central coherence and poor cognitive shifting did not appear to be related to measures of symptom severity, social understanding, and social competence. Both these cognitive styles did not appear to be universal to autism. In our sample, weak central coherence and poor cognitive shifting were found to be significantly more common than in normative control subjects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Jan-Pieter Teunisse, Alexander R. Cools, Karel P. M. van Spaendonck & Hans J. C. Berger

  2. Dr. Leo Kannerhuis, Oosterbeek, The Netherlands

    Francisca H. T. M. Aerts

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  1. Jan-Pieter Teunisse
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  2. Alexander R. Cools
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  3. Karel P. M. van Spaendonck
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  4. Francisca H. T. M. Aerts
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  5. Hans J. C. Berger
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Teunisse, JP., Cools, A.R., van Spaendonck, K.P.M. et al. Cognitive Styles in High-Functioning Adolescents with Autistic Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 31, 55–66 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005613730126

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005613730126

  • Autism
  • central coherence
  • cognitive shifting
  • social functioning