Mentalising and social problem solving in adults with Asperger's syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: It is well established that autistic spectrum disorder is linked to difficulties with mentalising, but the ways in which this affects everyday behaviour is less well understood. This study explored the nature and extent of difficulties in everyday social functioning in adults with Asperger's syndrome (AS), since increased understanding can enhance the development of more effective intervention strategies. METHODS: Individuals with AS (n=21) were compared with healthy control participants (n=21) on three tests of social cognition: the Mentalistic Interpretation task, which assesses interpretation of sarcasm and actions; the Social Problem Fluency task, which assesses ability to generate problem solutions; and the Social Problem Resolution task, which assesses judgement in selecting problem solutions. RESULTS: Comprehension of both sarcastic remarks and actions was impaired in those with AS on the mentalistic interpretation task. Participants with AS showed difficulties in identifying the awkward elements of everyday social scenarios, and they were also impaired in generating problem solutions but not in judging alternative solutions on the social problem fluency and resolution tasks. CONCLUSIONS: These tasks potentially provide a means of profiling strengths and weaknesses in social processing, which in turn has implications for informing clinical evaluation and training.

The neuropsychological profile of galactosaemia.

Long-term follow-up studies of individuals with galactosaemia have indicated that despite a strict galactose-free diet, cognitive functioning is often below average. This study was designed to examine the neuropsychological profile of individuals with galactosaemia in terms of IQ, memory, executive functioning, perceptual abilities and educational outcome. Twenty-eight people with classic galactosaemia and no comorbid neurological or psychiatric disorder took part. A battery of clinical neuropsychological tests was performed. Overall, findings were consistent with previous literature in showing galactosaemia to be linked to below-average functioning across a range of cognitive measures when mean scores were examined. Thus, the mean overall scores for verbal and performance IQ, memory, and executive functions were in the low average range. However, a range of ability was represented across individuals, with some achieving average or above scores and education to A level or above. Further work using longitudinal methodology is needed to address the issue of factors mediating any cognitive weaknesses and to establish the extent of any possible decline in functioning over time.