Dissertation
Verbal ability and social stress in children with autism and typical development
Washington State University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
08/2011
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000006101
Abstract
Autism is characterized by severe and persistent impairment in social interaction, communication, and restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior. In addition, children with autism demonstrate a significantly higher prevalence of anxiety, particularly social anxiety, than children with other developmental disabilities or chronic health conditions. Physiological indices of stress portray irregularities in the diurnal rhythm of the neuroendocrine system and variability in the LHPA axis response to acute stress in children with autism. The Trier Social Stress Test-Child version (TSST-C) is a standardized, social-evaluative stress protocol designed to evoke a significant physiological stress response in healthy participants and is a widely used technique for evaluating the LHPA axis in clinical populations. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the neuroendocrine (cortisol) and psychological (anxiety) response to performance of the TSST-C in children with autism, relative to typical development, and to determine the association between physiological stress and anxiety. Because the TSST-C involves the completion of tasks that employ verbal communication and executive functioning skills, two abilities that are often implicated in autism, the Delis Kaplan Executive Function System (DKEFFS) Verbal Fluency Test and NEPSY Narrative Memory test were considered as predictor variables. Two groups, each comprised of fifteen children between the ages of 8 and 12, underwent neuropsychological testing, extended home cortisol sampling, and completed the TSST-C experiment. Results indicated that verbal ability did not predict the stress or anxiety (STAIC: State Form) responses for either diagnostic group. Children with autism and typical development demonstrated similar baseline levels of cortisol, but varied in their responses to the stressor; Typically developing children demonstrated a significantly increased level of cortisol following the task, however, this was not observed in children with autism. Self-reported levels of acute anxiety did not correlate with the physiological stress response exhibited by either group. The overall findings are interpreted within the context of the larger literature on social and cognitive functioning in autism with a particular emphasis on impaired social cognition. Clinical implications pertaining to the relationship between stress and anxiety as well as the importance of structured treatment to optimize performance are discussed.
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Details
- Title
- Verbal ability and social stress in children with autism and typical development
- Creators
- Kimberly Elizabeth Lanni
- Contributors
- G. Leonard Burns (Chair)PAUL H. KWON (Committee Member)Paul S Strand (Committee Member) - Washington State University, Department of PsychologyBlythe Corbett (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Department of Psychology
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 111
- Identifiers
- 99901055026101842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation