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Social Function and Communication in Optimal Outcome Children and Adolescents with an Autism History on Structured Test Measures

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Abstract

Youth who lose their ASD diagnosis may have subtle social and communication difficulties. We examined social and communication functioning in 44 high-functioning autism (HFA), 34 optimal outcome (OO) and 34 typically developing (TD) youth. Results indicated that OO participants had no autism communication symptoms, no pragmatic language deficits, and were judged as likable as TD peers. Some group differences were found: OO youth had less insight into social relationships and poorer friendship descriptions than TD youth. OO participants had attention, self-control, and immaturity difficulties that may impact social abilities. However, OO participants were most engaged, friendliest, warmest, and most approachable. Overall, OO participants had no social and communicative impairments, although some exhibited mild social difficulties that often accompany attentional problems.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Institutes of Mental Health (R01MH076189 to Deborah Fein). We are deeply grateful to participants and families and our tireless undergraduate research assistants.

Conflict of interest

There are no conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical statement

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit 1020, Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA

    Alyssa J. Orinstein, Joyce Suh, Kaitlyn Porter, Kaitlin A. De Yoe, Katherine E. Tyson, Eva Troyb, Marianne L. Barton, Inge-Marie Eigsti & Deborah A. Fein

  2. Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, Institute of Living, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT, USA

    Michael C. Stevens

  3. Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

    Michael C. Stevens

Authors
  1. Alyssa J. Orinstein
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  2. Joyce Suh
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  3. Kaitlyn Porter
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  4. Kaitlin A. De Yoe
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  5. Katherine E. Tyson
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  6. Eva Troyb
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  7. Marianne L. Barton
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  8. Inge-Marie Eigsti
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  9. Michael C. Stevens
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  10. Deborah A. Fein
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Correspondence to Alyssa J. Orinstein.

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Orinstein, A.J., Suh, J., Porter, K. et al. Social Function and Communication in Optimal Outcome Children and Adolescents with an Autism History on Structured Test Measures. J Autism Dev Disord 45, 2443–2463 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2409-6

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