Autism and Intelligence Levels
An Autism Spectrum Disorder Does Not Mean Cognitive Disability
Feb 20, 2008
A common misconception that is made by the general public is that autism equates to mental retardation (MR). Mental retardation is a term used to describe individuals that fall within a certain range on a standardized intelligence quotient test. The phrase mental retardation immediately drums up negative connotations; some states have recognized this and switched to the use of cognitively disabled in its place.
In recent days, the phrase as it applies to individuals with autism has received massive amounts of media attention. A contestant on Big Brother 9 (a CBS reality TV show) used the derogatory form of the word when describing a group of autistic children that he works with. While most people agree that the comment was uncalled for, many people believe that it is an accurate statement. This fallacy needs to stop; understanding a bit more about the relationship between an autism spectrum disorder and an individual’s intelligence level will help alleviate this misunderstanding.
Outdated Studies
Many of the studies that are cited in articles confirming a high rate of mental retardation among the autistic population were conducted prior to 1980. The problem with these studies is that numerous times a patient was classified as having an IQ that falls within the mentally retarded range if they were not able to be tested with a conventional IQ test.
Nonverbal individuals on the autism spectrum could obviously not participate in a test requiring verbal responses. Instead of looking for alternative ways to measure the intelligence level of these individuals, the researchers simply wrote them off as having mental retardation. Over time many IQ tests have been created, and standardized, that require absolutely no verbal response on the part of the patient. The introduction of these tests has already started to skew the autism/MR ratio.
Early Tests Measured Adaptive Skills
In addition to the outdated nature of these studies, the studies themselves were not very accurate. Several of the studies that were used to make the claim that MR rates among the autistic population range from 70-80% only looked at an individual’s adaptive skills.
Adaptive skills are daily living skills; toileting and self-care are two adaptive skills. An individual on the autism spectrum may not be able to brush his teeth but that does not qualify as an MR diagnosis.
In an article published on Collegenews.com, the findings of one researcher were published which contradicts the "autism equals mentally retarded" myth. Meredyth Goldberg Edelson published her findings in the Summer 2006 issue of Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities. In the Collegenews.com article, during Edelson’s research she “reviewed 215 studies (dating from 1937 to 2003) that made 223 claims about the rates of mental retardation in autism. Only 58 of those claims were supported by data, 165 were made in the absence of data, and 8 made both empirical and non-empirical claims. “
As time goes on and more people come to know and love someone with an autism spectrum disorder, they will understand that the link between autism and mental retardation is not as strong as once suspected. More studies should certainly be conducted replacing this outdated and incorrect research with an updated and much more positive look at autism and intelligence levels.
Source:
Link Between Autism and Mental Retardation Lacks Data, Says Willamette Researcher
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