Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by heteroge- neous cognitive profiles. The assessment of the intellectual development is crucial, considering different intellectual abil- ities have been described within the spectrum (Charman et al., 2011). The Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children (WISC) is one of the most widely used tests within the assessment in children with ASD (ASD-Children). Some research described an uneven intellectual profile characterized by higher verbal and non-verbal reasoning and weakness on work- ing memory and processing speed (e.g. Oliveras-rentas, Kenworthy, Medical, Roberson, & Wallace, 2012). Nevertheless, mixed findings are reported, particularly considering substantial changes in the subtests and indices of the recent ver- sions (Kuehnel, Castro, & Furey, 2018; Nader, Jelenic, & Souli, 2015). In this context, the latest WISC was standardized in Chile (WISC-V), underscoring the relevance of exploring its utility to assess intellectual development of ASD- Children. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore the utility of WISC-V to assess cognitive functioning in chilean ASD- Chil- dren compared with typically developing children (TD). METHODS: Twenty-five ASD-Children (23 males) aged 6-16 years (M = 11.3; SD = 3.1) were recruited from a public hospital of Santiago de Chile. All children had previous assessment with an IQ>70 and did not have significant language difficulties. Control group were TD of the standardization sample matched by age and socioeconomic status (SES) based on type of school administration, considering the strong relationship between school type and SES described in Chile. Informed consent from parents was provided for all study participants and then tested individually by professionals psychologists trained in WISC-V. Nonparametric comparisons were carried out among FSIQ, principal and secondary index for ASD-Children and TD-group. Additionally, exploratory comparisons within the ASD-group were carried out between the FSIQ-GAI and GAI- CPI using critical values of the normative sample. RESULTS: Overall, ASD-children performed within the average range on the FSQI (M=93.6, SD=14.9) and on most WISC-V principal indices with the exception of the PSI (M=76,5, SD=14,6). Compared with TD-children, ASD-chil- dren showed a significantly lower performance in PSI (p < 0.01). Similarly, a significant difference was found on the performance on the CPI (p < 0.01). No further significant differences were found in the FSIQ or other indices between groups. Exploratory analyses within the ASD-group revealed significant differences within secondary indices suggesting GAI>FSIQ and GAI> CPI. CONCLUSION: This is the first study that administered the WISC-V to explore cognitive performance in chilean. ASD-children. Although these are preliminary results and further research is needed, findings lend support toward the usefulness of the WISC-V to assess intellectual development of ASD-children. Results replicated some previous work suggesting processing speed difficulties. Also, underscored the cautions that need to be taken considering differences between the FSIQ and GAI, especially for future comparisons guiding treatment planning in clinical settings.