The fact that children can do well in one area, but not as well in others, reflects the nature of ASD, Szatmari explained.
But it might also partly reflect the types of interventions or services a child receives, he said.
Interventions for ASD typically focus on particular challenges a child has, Szatmari noted. One implication of the new findings is that kids might benefit from more-comprehensive approaches — ones that address challenges and also build on strengths, he said.
A limitation of the study, Vivanti said, is that it lacked details on the services kids received.
The researchers did find some other factors that seemed important in doing well: Higher family income and better family functioning, including how well family members communicate and support one another.
Higher-income families may have access to additional resources, like private tutoring to help with school, Szatmari said. And better-functioning families may be able to “work as a team,” to the benefit of their kids.
The concept of “doing well” is not static, and Vivanti said that as kids with ASD transition into high school, and then young adulthood, new challenges come up. So it will be important to see how they do, he said.
Szatmari agreed. He and his colleagues have continued to follow the study group into adolescence, and will report on those findings in the future.
The study was published online March 29 in JAMA Network Open.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has more on autism spectrum disorder.
