The Identification of Exceptional Skills in School-Age Autistic Children: Prevalence, Misconceptions and the Alignment of Informant Perspectives

Autor/inn/en	Clark, Trevor; Jung, Jae Yup; Roberts, Jacqueline; Robinson, Ainslie; Howlin, Patricia
Titel	The Identification of Exceptional Skills in School-Age Autistic Children: Prevalence, Misconceptions and the Alignment of Informant Perspectives
Quelle	In: Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 36 (2023) 5, S.1034-1045 (12 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1360-2322
DOI	10.1111/jar.13113
Schlagwörter	Autism Spectrum Disorders; Gifted; Ability; Severity (of Disability); Children; Identification; Foreign Countries; Australia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Autism; Autismus; Begabter, Hoch Begabter; Fähigkeit; Fertigkeit; Schweregrad; Child; Kind; Kinder; Identifikation; Identifizierung; Ausland; Australien
Abstract	Background: Although autism is commonly described in terms of deficits, many autistic individuals have been found to demonstrate exceptional skills. The shift to a strengths-based approach in the field of autism necessitates increased understanding of these skills. Aims: This study examined (1) rates of exceptional skills in autistic school-age children as reported by parents and teachers, (2) associations between exceptional skills, autism severity and intellectual disability and (3) correlations between parent and teacher reports of exceptional skills. Method: Parents and teachers of 76 children attending autism-specific schools in Australia completed online questionnaires. Thereafter, 35 parents and teachers who identified their child as having one or more exceptional skills were interviewed by a clinical psychologist. Results: Forty parents (53%) and 16 (21%) teachers reported that their child had at least one exceptional skill (agreement between the parent and teacher reports was low; [kappa] = 0.03, p = 0.74). In comparison, clinical psychologist assessments identified 22 children (29%) as having at least one such skill. No statistically significant relationships were identified between exceptional skills, autism severity and intellectual disability. Conclusion: While different exceptional skills were identified, regardless of children's intellectual functioning or autism severity, parents and teachers varied substantially in their evaluations of these skills. Furthermore, the identified prevalence rates of exceptional skills did not always align with the rates identified in previous studies. The study findings highlight the need for definitional consensus on different types of exceptional skills, and the importance of multiple criteria/multi-instrument approaches in the identification of exceptional skills in autistic children. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01