Background

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social interaction, restricted and repetitive behaviour, interests or activities. Difficulties in a broad spectrum of cognitive skills is often present, including attentional processes and nonverbal intelligence, which might be related to academic difficulties.

Aims

In this study, the association between attentional skills and nonverbal intelligence to school performance of children with ASD was assessed.

Methods and procedures

32 children/adolescents between 8–14 years old, who attended a treatment unit linked to the public health system of São Paulo-Brazil participated in the study. The following instruments were utilized: Cancellation Attention Test; Raven’s Coloured Progressive Matrices; and School Performance Test.

Outcomes and results

After correlation analysis, statistically significant associations were found between attention and nonverbal intelligence with school performance. Regression analysis showed that attention drives school performance irrespective of nonverbal intelligence.

Conclusions and implications

Results evidence the link between attention and school performance in ASD, suggesting that attentional mechanisms may be a promising route to follow in the design of interventions for school improvement of children and adolescents with ASD.

中文翻译：

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巴西公共卫生背景下自闭症谱系障碍学龄儿童注意力、非语言智力与学校表现之间的关系

背景

自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 的特征是社交互动、受限和重复的行为、兴趣或活动方面的障碍。通常存在广泛的认知技能方面的困难，包括注意力过程和非语言智力，这可能与学业困难有关。

宗旨

在这项研究中，评估了注意力技能和非语言智力与 ASD 儿童在校表现之间的关联。

方法和程序

32 名 8-14 岁的儿童/青少年参加了这项研究，他们参加了与圣保罗-巴西公共卫生系统相关的治疗单位。使用了以下工具：取消注意测试；Raven 的彩色渐进矩阵；和学校表现测试。

结果和结果

经过相关分析，发现注意力和非语言智力与学校表现之间存在统计学上的显着关联。回归分析表明，无论非语言智力如何，注意力都会推动学校表现。

结论和影响

结果证明了 ASD 中注意力和学校表现之间的联系，表明注意力机制可能是设计改善 ASD 儿童和青少年学校改善干预措施的有希望的途径。