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Molecular Autism

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Open Access 01-12-2018 | Research

Savant syndrome has a distinct psychological profile in autism

Authors: James E A Hughes, Jamie Ward, Elin Gruffydd, Simon Baron-Cohen, Paula Smith, Carrie Allison, Julia Simner

Published in: Molecular Autism | Issue 1/2018

Abstract

Background

Savant syndrome is a condition where prodigious talent can co-occur with developmental conditions such as autism spectrum conditions (autism). It is not yet clear why some autistic people develop savant skills while others do not.

Methods

We tested three groups of adults: autistic individuals who have savant skills, autistic individuals without savant skills, and typical controls without autism or savant syndrome. In experiment 1, we investigated the cognitive and behavioural profiles of these three groups by asking participants to complete a battery of self-report measures of sensory sensitivity, obsessional behaviours, cognitive styles, and broader autism-related traits including social communication and systemising. In experiment 2, we investigated how our three groups learned a novel savant skill—calendar calculation.

Results

Heightened sensory sensitivity, obsessional behaviours, technical/spatial abilities, and systemising were all key aspects in defining the savant profile distinct from autism alone, along with a different approach to task learning.

Conclusions

These results reveal a unique cognitive and behavioural profile in autistic adults with savant syndrome that is distinct from autistic adults without a savant skill.

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Calculation of a Bayes factor allows the evaluation of null results to determine whether the data supports evidence for the null against the alternative hypothesis [51]. Bayes factors are evaluated along a continuum although typically, a Bayes factor (BF) > .33 provides moderate support for the null hypothesis while a Bayes factor of > 3 provides moderate support for the alternative hypothesis, and values in between indicate no firm conclusions should be drawn.

We note that there were gender imbalances in our participant samples across groups (see [46] for example gender effects in autism). Given this, we repeated all analyses where we had found main effects (i.e. sensory sensitivity, obsessional traits, technical-spatial skills, and systemising) but this time ran ANCOVAs with gender entered as a covariate. Even after controlling for gender, all of our main effects were maintained: for sensory sensitivity (F(2, 111) = 28.06, p < .001, ηp2 = .34), obsessional traits (F(2, 111) = 7.74, p < .001, ηp2 = .13), technical-spatial skills (F(2, 111) = 6.36, p = .002, ηp2 = .11), and systemising (F(2, 91) = 22.09, p < .001, ηp2 = .34). In addition, the pattern of results for all our post hoc comparisons were maintained with autistic-savants scoring higher than both autistic-nonsavants and controls across all measures (all p’s < 0.05) while autistic-nonsavants scored higher than controls across all measures (p’s < .05) apart from obsessional traits and technical-spatial abilities (p > .05). In other words, gender had very little effect on our overall pattern of findings, and importantly, it had no effect whatsoever on our key findings comparing autistic-savants and autistic nonsavants.

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Title: Savant syndrome has a distinct psychological profile in autism
Authors: James E A Hughes
Jamie Ward
Elin Gruffydd
Simon Baron-Cohen
Paula Smith
Carrie Allison
Julia Simner
Publication date: 01-12-2018
Publisher: BioMed Central
Published in: Molecular Autism / Issue 1/2018
Electronic ISSN: 2040-2392
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-018-0237-1

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Savant syndrome has a distinct psychological profile in autism

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

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