[Quality of life in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability]. / Calidad de vida en niños y adolescentes con trastorno del espectro autista sin discapacidad intelectual.

INTRODUCTION: The concept of quality of life is of great importance for interventions directed at people living with disabilities. It is undeniable that the achievement of a satisfactory quality of life should be the objective of clinical interventions that are directed at the group of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and should be a key element in the design of the treatments that are needed to improve the prognosis of future development. Nevertheless, knowledge of both the objective and the subjective conditions that predict greater quality of life satisfaction in people with ASD is still very limited. AIM: To explore the perception of the quality of life experienced by a group of children and adolescents with ASD without intellectual disability. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A sample of 12 children and 11 adolescents with ASD without intellectual disability. In accordance with their age, they were administered the corresponding quality of life questionnaires. RESULTS: Both groups reported positively on their quality of life, without any differences in the basic dimensions. Nevertheless, in the case of adolescents, very low scores were obtained in the area of self-determination in comparison with their scores in other areas. CONCLUSIONS: The discussion centers on the identification of the most relevant dimensions for quality of life, the implications for intervention, and the need to adapt the methodologies in use for the subjective evaluation of those factors, due to the characteristics of ASD that can affect the capabilities necessary for the evaluation of personal experience, and may require the adaptation of the procedures that are employed.

TITLE: Calidad de vida en niños y adolescentes con trastorno del espectro autista sin discapacidad intelectual.Introduccion. El concepto de calidad de vida tiene gran importancia en la intervencion dirigida a las personas con discapacidad. Resulta indiscutible que el alcance de una calidad de vida satisfactoria debe ser el objetivo de las intervenciones clinicas dirigidas al colectivo de personas con trastorno del espectro autista (TEA), y un elemento clave para diseñar los tratamientos necesarios que mejoren el pronostico de desarrollo futuro. A pesar de ello, el conocimiento sobre las condiciones objetivas y subjetivas que predicen una mayor satisfaccion en las personas con TEA es aun muy limitado. Objetivo. Explorar la percepcion de la calidad de vida que experimenta un grupo de niños y adolescentes con TEA sin discapacidad intelectual asociada. Pacientes y metodos. Muestra de 12 niños y 11 adolescentes con TEA sin discapacidad intelectual asociada. Dependiendo de la edad, se les aplico el cuestionario de calidad de vida especifico. Resultados. Ambos grupos informan positivamente sobre su calidad, sin que existan diferencias en las dimensiones basicas. No obstante, en el caso de los adolescentes se obtienen puntuaciones mas bajas en el area de autodeterminacion en comparacion con las demas. Conclusiones. La discusion se centra en la identificacion de las dimensiones mas relevantes para la calidad de vida, las implicaciones para la intervencion y la necesidad de adecuar las metodologias empleadas para la evaluacion subjetiva de estos factores, debido a que las caracteristicas de los TEA pueden alterar las habilidades necesarias para la valoracion de la experiencia personal y requerir la adaptacion de los procedimientos empleados.

[Neuropsychological data about children with autistic disorder and an intellectual development within what is considered to be a normal span of time]. / Datos neuropsicológicos de niños con trastorno autista y desarrollo intelectual en el intervalo considerado normal.

INTRODUCTION: Characteristic symptoms of autistic disorder (AD) can be the result of cognitive impairment which can be produced by specific neurological irregularities. Up until now a specific cognitive deficit in autism has not been found, although the majority of people with autism show intellectual impairment, verbal scores lower than manipulative measures and executive dysfunctions. AIMS: A neuropsychological evaluation of children with AD was planned. These children had intellectual abilities in the normal range. They were compared with two other groups, one with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NS), and the other from the general population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A battery of neuropsychological tests was carried out on five boys AD, five boys PDD-NS, and five boys of the general population. All of them were between 9 and 15 years old and their intellectual abilities were within the normal range. RESULTS: The children AD obtained verbal scores lower than their visual-perception scores. They also showed good dynamic coordination of movement. Scores in episodic memory tasks where executive strategies are needed were low. CONCLUSION: The characteristics described in the paper do not demonstrate a specific profile of the AD, but they can be useful in diagnoses and in planning treatment.

Datos neuropsicológicos de niños con trastorno autista y desarrollo intelectual en el intervalo considerado normal / Neuropsychological data about children with autistic disorder and an intellectual development within what is considered to be a normal span of time

Introducción. Los síntomas característicos del trastorno autista (TA) pueden ser el resultado de déficit cognitivos que, a su vez, derivan de alteraciones neurológicas específicas. Hasta el momento no se conoce ningún déficit cognitivo patognómico del autismo, aunque la mayoría de las veces presentan retraso mental, índices verbales inferiores a los manipulativos y disfunciones ejecutivas. Objetivo. Se planteó una valoración neuropsicológica de niños con TA con una inteligencia en el intervalo considerado típico, y se comparó con niños de la población general y con niños con trastorno generalizado del desarrollo no especificados (TGD-NE). Pacientes y métodos. Se aplicó una batería neuropsicológica a cinco niños con TA, a cinco niños con TGD-NE y a cinco niños de la población general. Todos ellos tenían entre 9 y 15 años, y su nivel intelectual se situaba en el intervalo considerado normal. Resultados. Los niños con TA mostraron un rendimiento verbal inferior al visuoperceptivo, buena coordinación dinámica del movimiento y un bajo rendimiento en tareas de memoria episódica que requieren estrategias ejecutivas. Conclusiones. Las características que se dan descrito no suponen un perfil específico del TA, sin ambargo, pueden resultar útiles para complementar el diagnóstico y fundamentar la rehabilitación

Introduction. Characteristic symptoms of autistic disorder (AD) can be the result of cognitive impairment which can be produced by specific neurological irregularities. Up until now a specific cognitive deficit in autism has not been found, although the majority of people with autism show intellectual impairment, verbal scores lower than manipulative measures and executive dysfunctions. Aims. A neuropsychological evaluation of children with AD was planned. These children had intellectual abilities in the normal range. They were compared with two other groups, one with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NS), and the other from the general population. Subjects and methods. A battery of neuropsychological tests was carried out on five boys AD, five boys PDD-NS, and five boys of the general population. All of them were between 9 and 15 years old and their intellectual abilities were within the normal range. Results. The children AD obtained verbal scores lower than their visual-perception scores. They also showed good dynamic coordination of movement. Scores in episodic memory tasks where executive strategies are needed were low. Conclusion. The characteristics described in the paper do not demostrate a specific profile of the AD, but they can be useful in diagnoses and in planning treatment