Abstract
There is considerable interest in characterizing cognitive abilities of young children with autism spectrum disorder. Multiple assessment tools are available with many different ways of measuring cognition. In this paper we demonstrate these methods using data from two prior longitudinal studies of autistic toddlers that employed some of the most widely used tools in research to measure early cognition. We emphasize the importance of assessing nonverbal cognition to avoid confounding language and communication impairments with other aspects of cognition. Additionally, we highlight the need for further consideration of adaptive behavior in relation to nonverbal cognition in autistic toddlers.
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Acknowledgements
Support for this manuscript was provided by the National Institutes of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders grants R01 DC17974, R01 DC012513, R01 DC007223 awarded to the second author and her collaborators, and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development core grant P50 HD105353 to the Waisman Center.
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Walter, M.J., Ellis Weismer, S. Measuring nonverbal cognition in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder. Curr Psychol 43, 11102–11113 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05230-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05230-8