Failure is not an option: Risk-taking is moderated by anxiety and also by cognitive ability in children and adolescents diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder

Mikle South; Julianne Dana; Sarah E White; Michael J Crowley

doi:10.1007/s10803-010-1021-z

Failure is not an option: Risk-taking is moderated by anxiety and also by cognitive ability in children and adolescents diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder

J Autism Dev Disord. 2011 Jan;41(1):55-65. doi: 10.1007/s10803-010-1021-z.

Authors

Mikle South¹, Julianne Dana, Sarah E White, Michael J Crowley

Affiliation

¹ Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience, Brigham Young University, 245 TLRB, 1190 North 900 East, Provo, UT 84602, USA. south@byu.edu

PMID: 20414800
DOI: 10.1007/s10803-010-1021-z

Abstract

Understanding hetereogeneity in symptom expression across the autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a major challenge for identifying causes and effective treatments. In 40 children and adolescents diagnosed with ASD and 37 IQ-and age-matched comparison participants (the TYP group), we found no differences in summary measures on an experimental risk-taking task. However, anxiety and IQ predicted risk-taking only in the ASD group. Risk-taking was correlated with behavioral inhibition in the ASD group and behavioral activation in the TYP group. We suggest that performance on the task was motivated by fear of failure in the ASD group and by sensitivity to reward in the TYP group. Behavioral markers of anxiety and cognitive ability may improve conceptualization of heterogeneity in ASD.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Anxiety / psychology*
Aptitude*
Child
Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / psychology*
Cognition*
Decision Making
Female
Humans
Intelligence
Male
Reaction Time
Risk-Taking*