For a study, the researchers examined differences in intellectual functioning and its relationship to social cognitive abilities. Finally, researchers examined the relationship between social cognitive skills and real-world social behavior. Researchers analyzed social cognition and intellectual functioning in 273 participants (mean age=17.74±5.18% female=44.3%): 50 with 22q11DS, 49 youth with Ist-episode psychosis (FEP), 48 at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis, 24 participants with ASD, and 102 HC. The 22q11DS group exhibited significantly lower social cognitive abilities than CHR, FEP, and HC groups after controlling for intellectual functioning, but not in comparison to the ASD group. Significant positive correlations were found between social cognition, as measured by the TASIT, and IQ across groups. In contrast, no significant relationships were found between TASIT and real-world social behavior (SRS) for any group. The research indicated social cognitive deficits are more prominent in 22q11DS than idiopathic neuropsychiatric conditions across the age range, even after adjusting for global intellectual function. The results contributed to our understanding of the academic and social vulnerabilities of 22q11DS in comparison to idiopathic neuropsychiatric disorders. The researchers’ results of robust relations between intellectual ability and social cognition emphasized the importance of accounting for neurocognitive deficits in social skills interventions and tailoring the existing treatment models for 22q11DS and other populations with intellectual impairment.
Link:jneurodevdisorders.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s11689-021-09363-4
