Gender and age differences in associations between intelligence structure and adaptive behavior among school-age children with autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, specific learning disorder and their comorbidities in China

Abstract

Abstract Background Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), specific learning disorder (SLD), and ADHD + SLD are associated with children’s specific profiles of intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior. The gender and age differences were unclear. Identifying the differences among these disorders will be meaningful for the intervention of school-age children. Methods This study recruited 3203 school-age Chinese children who had been diagnosed from 2017 to 2021 (ASD = 239, ADHD = 1521, SLD = 1067, ADHD + SLD = 196). All of them were assessed with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth edition (WISC-Ⅳ) and Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-Second Edition (ABAS-Ⅱ). Results Our study found significant differences in the WISC-Ⅳand ABAS-Ⅱcomposite scores among the four groups, and scores in the ADHD group were the highest. Boys in the ADHD and SLD groups had higher scores in Perceptual Reasoning Index field than girls, while girls in the ADHD and SLD groups had higher scores in Processing Speed Index and Working Memory Index (WMI) field than boys. WMI and Full-scale IQ scores in ADHD group and WMI score in the ADHD + SLD group increased with age before 10, while the Verbal Comprehension Index in ADHD group increased with age from 6 to 15. Conclusions This study further expanded the understanding of the intellectual structure and adaptive behavior of the four disorders. The gender and age differences in intellectual structure provided an important reference for the intervention of school-age children with these disorders, and help them integrate into school and society.