Developmental Relationship between Social Competence and Autistic Symptoms among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

This study investigated the developmental relationship between autistic symptoms and social competence in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental condition characterised by impairments in social interaction, communication, and restricted and repetitive behavioural patterns. While previous research has demonstrated that interventions can reduce autistic symptoms, the extent to which these improvements translate into enhanced social competence—defined as the ability to effectively interact, communicate, and form relationships—remains an important area for investigation. The central hypothesis examined whether reducing autistic symptoms through therapy is associated with increased social competence, as reflected by improvements in Social Quotient (SQ) scores.

Using a Correlational research design, the study recruited children diagnosed with ASD from the General Service Unit of Government tertiary rehabilitation center in Secunderabad. Developmental functioning was assessed using the Developmental Screening Test (DST) to obtain Developmental Quotient (DQ) scores, while social competence was measured through the Vineland Social Maturity Scale (VSMS). Autistic symptoms were evaluated using the Indian Scale for Assessment of Autism (ISAA), and Spearman’s rho correlation analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between DQ and SQ domains and ISAA subdomains.

The findings revealed that DQ demonstrated strong positive correlations with total SQ (ρ = 0.834, p < 0.01) and several specific social competence domains, including Self-Help General (SHG), Occupation (OCC), Communication (COM), and Locomotion (LOC). Notably, no significant correlation was observed between DQ and total ISAA scores or most ISAA sub domains, suggesting that while developmental level is strongly related to social competence, it shows less direct association with autism symptom severity. These results indicate that developmental functioning and social competence are closely linked in children with ASD. While interventions aimed at reducing autistic symptoms may indirectly enhance social competence, targeted social skills training remains an essential component of comprehensive treatment approaches. Future research should employ longitudinal designs to examine causal relationships, incorporate larger samples for moderator analysis, and develop intervention studies testing the independence of developmental functioning and autism symptom improvements.