Date of Award

5-12-2024

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Advisor(s)

Natalie Russo

Keywords

autism;autism spectrum disorder;communication skills;nonverbal intelligence

Subject Categories

Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

School psychologists have a responsibility to find, identify, and assess children with disabilities (IDEA, 2004) using assessment tools that are culturally responsive and developmentally appropriate (NASP, 2020). As autism is a neurodevelopmental condition listed as an educational disability category (IDEA, 2004) that impacts one in 31.25 people (Wallis et al., 2023), it is crucial that popular assessment tools be examined for suitability for the autistic community. Most school psychologists use the Weschler scales of intelligence to assess their autistic students (Aiello et al., 2017), despite previous research indicating that Weschler scales of cognitive abilities underestimate the intelligence of people with autism (Courchesne et al., 2015, 2019; Dawson et al., 2007; Nader et al., 2016). This dissertation aimed to investigate the relationship between nonverbal intelligence as assessed by a Weschler scale and functional communication skills for child and adolescent autistic participants compared to non-autistic participants. I also examined to what extent an autism diagnosis moderated this relationship. Results of this study showed that although the relationship between nonverbal intelligence and functional communication is significant, it does not differ significantly between autistic and non-autistic participants, nor was an autism diagnosis a significant moderating factor in the relationship. These findings highlight the importance of considering communication skills in cognitive assessments for autistic individuals and emphasize the need for appropriate assessment approaches in clinical practice.

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Open Access

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