title: Evidence for latent classes of IQ in young children with autism spectrum disorder.
abstract: Autism is currently viewed as a spectrum condition that includes strikingly different severity levels; IQ is consistently described as one of the primary aspects of the heterogeneity in autism. To investigate the possibility of more than one distinct subtype of autism based on IQ both latent class analysis and taxometrics methods were used to classify Mullen IQs in a sample of 456 children with autism spectrum disorder. We found evidence for multiple IQbased subgroups using both methods. Groups differed in level of intellectual functioning and patterns of verbal versus nonverbal ability. Results support the notion of distinct subtypes of autism that differ in severity of intellectual ability, patterns of cognitive strengths and weaknesses, and severity of autism symptoms.
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. jeffmun@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Munson
authors.forename: Geraldine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dawson
authors.forename: Lindsey
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sterling
authors.forename: Theodore
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Beauchaine
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Koehler
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Elizabeth
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lord
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sigman
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Estes
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Abbott
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000150:complications*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009633:Nonverbal Communication; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014705:Verbal Behavior