Predictive hypotheses of the conceptual category ofAutism Spectrum Disorder

Manuel Ojea Rúa (PhD University of Vigo).

Tania Justo Román (Doctoral Student University of Vigo).

Elsa M. Castañeda Mikrukova (PgDipAutonomousUniversitat of Barcelona).

Alba Pereiras Martínez (PgDip University of Vigo).

Social Institute for Scientific Research (CIF: 44568509). Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Vigo (32004- Ourense). Manuel Ojea Rúa. ORCID-ID: https://orcid.org/my-orcid?orcid=0000-0002-9787-2520

Abstract

People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are characterized by presenting a neurodevelopmental disorder of fundamentally genetic etiology with consequences in the global cognitive process, affecting the psychoneurological processing of interrelational information processing as a systemic whole. For this reason, the International Classification DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association (APA), 2013), which includes only behavioral criteria, is very reduced in the face of a disorder that affects the global developmental system, both in the perceptual-cognitive area, as well as in the motor area and other clinical components related to health. In this study, the following general objectives are set out: 1) to analyze the most important predictor variables that make up the explanatory hypotheses for the diagnosis of autism, 2) to analyze whether these predictor variables differ according to the type of ASD group, age and sex of the participants in the sample, and 3) to elaborate the implications of the predictive analysis for the application of adapted programs. A total of 262 children belonging to the three ASD groups (ASD-1: 124, ASD-2: 83, and ASD-3: 84) participated in this study, which have been distributed according to five age intervals and two groups according to the sex of the participants. The results found using linear stepwise regression analysis indicate that there are four predictor variables that accumulate to explain the hypotheses explaining the disorder: 1) SocialCommunication, which represents an explanatory R for autism of .477 (47.7%), R2: .228 (22.8%), adjusted: .225 (22.5%), 2) in the second phase of the model, the Cognition variable is incorporated, whose interaction explains an R: .520, R2: .270, adjusted: .265, 3) the third step is configured sum of the Visual-Motor variable, which justifies an R: .53, R2: .284, adjusted: .275, and 4) the fourth and last step is collected the Rigidity-Motor variable, with a total explanatory sum of R: .54, R2: 29.7% (adjusted: 28.6%). 

Lay abstract

People with ASD are characterized by presenting a neurodevelopmental disorder of basically genetic etiology with consequences in the global cognitive process, which affects the psycho-neurological processing of interrelational information processing, influencing the global set of the neurocognitive system, both in the perceptual-cognitive, motor, and/or clinical level. This global systemic position requires the application of programs based on the development of processing modes, which can generate holistic development and reduce the cognitive consequences derived from the exposure to stimuli perceived as negative by people with ASD, as they would increase the types and levels of associated comorbidities. For this reason, programs have to design learning contexts that provide for positive responses, elaborated according to previously acquired competencies, which will progressively increase the level of difficulty according to the skills of elaboration of relationships between previous learning and new acquisitions. The subsequent presentation of a wide range of variety of learning contexts will facilitate the processes of generalization of the learned contents to new situations.

Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Perception- Cognition, Semantic- Encoding, Visual- Motor, Behaviour.

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