Abstract
We examined the social skills of adults with autism, PDDNOS, and mental retardation. All participants were diagnosed with profound mental retardation. Participants in the autism and PDDNOS groups had been previously diagnosed using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and record review. These diagnoses were confirmed by readministering the CARS by one author and an independent rater. Social skills were assessed by using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales and the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills in the Severely Retarded. Significant differences between the autism and mental retardation groups were found on both measures. The PDDNOS group demonstrated better positive nonverbal social skills than the autism group but not the mental retardation group. Special treatment needs of institutionalized adults with autism appear warranted along with a need to clarify further the differences between PDDNOS and mental retardation.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 287-295 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1999 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The present research was submitted by the first author to the Graduate School at Louisiana State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. The first author thanks the Fulbright Foundation for their financial support. We also thank James R. Logan, Acting Director of Psychology at Pinecrest Developmental Center; for his ad- ministrative assistance, and Mary Lou Kelley for her helpful comments on an earlier version of this article.
Other keywords
- Adults
- Autism
- Mental retardation
- PDDNOS
- Social skills