Complex Interplay Between Cognitive Ability and Social Motivation in Predicting Social Skill: A Unique Role for Social Motivation in Children With Autism

Abstract

Impairment in social interaction is a core feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the factors which contribute to this social skill deficiency are poorly understood. Previous research has shown that cognitive ability can impact social skill development in ASD. Yet, children with ASD whose cognitive abilities are in the normal range nevertheless demonstrate deficits in social skill. More recently, the social motivation theory of ASD has emerged as a framework by which to understand how failure to seek social experiences may lead to social skill deficits. This study was designed to better understand the relationships between cognitive ability, social motivation, and social skill in a well‐characterized cohort of children with ASD (n = 79), their unaffected siblings (n = 50), and unrelated neurotypical controls (n = 60). The following instruments were used: The Stanford‐Binet intelligence quotient (IQ), the Social Responsiveness Scale's Social Motivation Subscale, and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales' Socialization Standard Score. We found that lower cognitive ability contributed to diminished social skill, but did so universally in all children. In contrast, social motivation strongly predicted social skill only in children with ASD, such that those with the lowest social motivation exhibited the greatest social skill impairment. Notably, this relationship was observed across a large range of intellectual ability but was most pronounced in those with IQs ≥ 80. These findings establish a unique link between social motivation and social skill in ASD and support the hypothesis that low social motivation may impair social skill acquisition in this disorder, particularly in children without intellectual disability. Lay Summary The relationships between cognitive ability, social motivation, and social skill are poorly understood. Here we report that cognitive ability predicts social skill in all children, whereas social motivation predicts social skill only in children with autism. These results establish a unique link between social motivation and social skill in autism, and suggest that low social motivation may impair social skill acquisition in this disorder, particularly in those without intellectual disability.

“It just fits my needs better”: Autistic students and parents’ experiences of learning from home during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…One final issue noted by our participants was that their autistic children's schools routinely failed to provide any support for friendships during lockdown. This oversight may be due to prevailing stereotypes about diminished autistic social motivation (Chevallier et al, 2012; Itskovich et al, 2021; see Pellicano et al, 2021, for discussion). Nevertheless, this lack of support for social connection goes against key recommendations from a rapid evidence assessment on remote learning in the UK (Education Endowment Foundation, 2020), which concluded that interactions with peers can enhance motivation and improve academic outcomes, and that educators should maintain social connections between students where possible.…”

The Dopamine Hypothesis of Autism Spectrum Disorder Revisited: Current Status and Future Prospects

“…The SMT of ASD has gained ever-increasing endorsement over the last years [10,11], leading Abrams et al [12] to theorize that the brain's reward system dysfunction provides "a stable brain signature of ASD." Indeed, accumulating evidence suggests that ASD may be conceptualized within a framework of reward processing impairments [13].…”

“…The SMT of ASD has gained ever-increasing endorsement over the last years [10, 11], leading Abrams et al [12] to theorize that the brain’s reward system dysfunction provides “a stable brain signature of ASD.” Indeed, accumulating evidence suggests that ASD may be conceptualized within a framework of reward processing impairments [13]. Given its role as a reward attribution node, the mesolimbic circuit is regarded as a critical region in a recently proposed unified circuit for social behavior [14].…”

Rhesus monkey sociality is stable across time and linked to variation in the initiation but not receipt of prosocial behavior

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