No abstract

No abstract

This pilot study sought to identify potential markers of improvement from pre-post treatment in response to computerized working memory (WM) training for youth (ages 8–18) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and comorbid intellectual disability (ID) in a single arm, pre-post design. Participants included 26 children with ASD and 18 with comorbid ASD and fragile X syndrome (ASD+FXS). Analyses were adjusted for age and IQ. The ASD group demonstrated greater improvement on WM training relative to the ASD+FXS group. Participants improved on WM and far transfer outcomes, however, there were no significant group differences in improvement except for repetitive behavior. Higher hyperactivity/impulsivity ratings predicted lower performance on visuospatial WM. Findings suggest cognitive training may be beneficial for youth with ASD and ID, warranting further exploration.

When one refers to a spectrum of psychopathology, one refers to a set of conditions that are both related, in the sense of sharing a common cause and some common symptoms, and also separate, in the sense that they also have different symptoms from one another that, presumably, arise from nonshared causes. Frequently, disorders on a spectrum vary in their degree of severity. Common examples include the schizophrenia spectrum, which includes disorders ranging in severity from what is called schizotypal personality disorder to the psychotic disorder of schizophrenia; and the autism spectrum, which includes Asperger's disorder together with the typically more disruptive autism. There is a long history of spectrum models in clinical psychology. These models are praised because they provide linkages across degrees of severity, in contrast to purely categorical description of psychopathology in which gradations of severity are not represented. They are also criticized by researchers who contend that, in reality, there typically are not separate conditions, but rather simply degrees of severity within dimensions of dysfunction.

No abstract