Cognitive skills associated with autism can improve over time

A new study conducted at the Institute of Education in London reveals that children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) can experience eventual improvement in cognitive skills.

Researchers assessed 37 children with the disability and compared them to age-matched, typically developing kids. They asked all of the participants to watch a series of taped social interactions and to predict a character's behavior, based on his or her emotional state in the video.

The team tested the children's problem-solving skills in addition to central coherence by studying their ability to construct patterns from wooden blocks and detect hidden shapes in images.

They observed a wide range of cognitive strength in children with ASD. Some kids with the disorder had difficulties in theory of mind, while others had difficulties in executive function. However, the team found that over time, skills in these areas improved considerably.

"These findings are encouraging," the researchers said. "They stress the importance of understanding the breadth of cognitive skills - a set of weaknesses and strengths - in children with ASD, and how these skills progress over time. A key question for the future is whether there are approaches that can facilitate progress in some of these areas."