The factors that place children with Asperger syndrome at risk for comorbid psychiatric symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, remain poorly understood. We investigated the possibility that the children's emotional and behavioral difficulties are associated with social information and attribution processing. Participants were children with either Asperger syndrome (n = 31) or typical development (n = 33).To assess social information and attribution processing, children responded to hypothetical social vignettes.They also completed self-report measures of social difficulties and psychological functioning. Their parents provided information on social competence and clinical presentation. Children with Asperger syndrome showed poor psychosocial adjustment, which was related to their social information and attribution processing patterns. Cognitive and social-cognitive abilities were associated with aspects of social information processing tendencies, but not with emotional and behavioral difficulties. Results suggest that the comorbid symptoms of children with Asperger syndrome may be associated with their social perception, understanding, and experience.
KeywordsAsperger syndrome; comorbid symptoms; social information processing In his original case descriptions, Asperger (1944) highlighted pervasive deficits in the children's capacity to understand social interaction, awareness of their social difficulties, and emotional symptoms, including anxiety and depression (Wing, 1981). Since then, emotional symptoms in adolescents and young adults with Asperger syndrome have been emphasized in a number of reports (Volkmar et al., 2000;Wolff and Chick, 1980;Wolff and McGuire, 1995;Wing, 1981). Recently, several empirical studies have documented comorbid psychiatric symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, in individuals with high-functioning autism (HFA) and Asperger syndrome (Ghaziuddin et al., 1998;Green et al., 2000;Hill et al., 2004;Howlin, 2000;Kim et al., 2000;Rinehart et al., 2002;Rumsey et al., 1985;Tonge et al., 1999). Disruptive and aggressive behavior has also been reported (Eaves et al., 1994;Muris and Correspondence should be addressed to: JESSICA A. MEYER, PhD, Tavistock Clinic and Institute of Child Health, UCL, Developmental Psychopathology Research Unit, 120 Belsize Lane, London NW3 5BA, UK. e-mail: Jessica.Meyer@ucl.ac.uk. Steerneman, 1998;Pomeroy, 1998;Rinehart et al., 2002;Tantam, 2000;Tonge et al., 1999). However, the factors giving rise to these comorbid psychiatric symptoms remain unclear.
NIH Public AccessDespite the often intense desire to do so, many individuals with Asperger syndrome find it extremely difficult to establish reciprocal relationships with others (Barnard et al., 2000;Green et al., 2000;Sigman and Ruskin, 1999). Limitations in the capacity for intersubjective contact with others (Hobson, 1992;Mundy and Sigman, 1989), coupled with repeated experiences of negative, unsuccessful social interactions (Bauminger, 2002;Frith, 1996;2004;Tantam, 2000;2003) may place children wit...