American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience

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Intelligence Quotient of Primary School Pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Uyo, Nigeria

Received: 16 November 2017    Accepted: 25 November 2017    Published: 03 January 2018
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Abstract

Although autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have been considered to be associated with intellectual disability, there is no known study on cognitive capacities of primary school aged children with ASD in Nigeria. The objective of this study is to compare the intelligence quotient (IQ) of primary school pupils with autism spectrum disorders with that of their controls in Uyo, Nigeria. Gilliam Autism Rating Scale–second Edition (GARS-2) and Gilliam Asperger Disorder Scale (GADS) were used to identify school children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Their intelligence quotient was assessed using the Draw–A–Person–Test (DAPT). The findings were compared with that of their age, social class and gender matched controls. A total of 29 pupils with autism spectrum disorders were identified out of 2,641 studied. Twenty-six out of the 29 children with ASD were suitable for intelligence quotient estimation using DAPT; two of the pupils were less than 4 years of age and one had features suggestive of Down syndrome. Eleven out of 26 pupils (42%) assessed for intelligence quotient had intellectual disability (IQ<75%) while fifteen (58%) had normal intelligence (IQ>75%). The overall mean IQ score of the pupils with ASD of 82.5±22.5 was significantly lower than that of the controls of 108.9±14.8 (p<0.01). Pupils with Asperger’s disorder had the highest mean IQ while those with autistic disorder had the least mean IQ with a statistically significant difference (p<0.01). ASD are associated with low IQ among school children in Uyo, Nigeria.

DOI 10.11648/j.ajpn.20170506.15
Published in American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience (Volume 5, Issue 6, November 2017)
Page(s) 83-87
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Intelligence Quotients, Autism Spectrum Disorders, School Children, Uyo

References
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Author Information
  • Department of Paediatrics, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria

  • Department of Paediatrics, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Nigeria

  • Department of Paediatrics, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Nigeria

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  • APA Style

    Emmanuel Eyo Ekanem, Mkpouto Udeme Akpan, Paulinus Umoren Essien. (2018). Intelligence Quotient of Primary School Pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Uyo, Nigeria. American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, 5(6), 83-87. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.20170506.15

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    Emmanuel Eyo Ekanem; Mkpouto Udeme Akpan; Paulinus Umoren Essien. Intelligence Quotient of Primary School Pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Uyo, Nigeria. Am. J. Psychiatry Neurosci. 2018, 5(6), 83-87. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpn.20170506.15

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    AMA Style

    Emmanuel Eyo Ekanem, Mkpouto Udeme Akpan, Paulinus Umoren Essien. Intelligence Quotient of Primary School Pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Uyo, Nigeria. Am J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2018;5(6):83-87. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpn.20170506.15

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajpn.20170506.15,
      author = {Emmanuel Eyo Ekanem and Mkpouto Udeme Akpan and Paulinus Umoren Essien},
      title = {Intelligence Quotient of Primary School Pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Uyo, Nigeria},
      journal = {American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience},
      volume = {5},
      number = {6},
      pages = {83-87},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajpn.20170506.15},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.20170506.15},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajpn.20170506.15},
      abstract = {Although autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have been considered to be associated with intellectual disability, there is no known study on cognitive capacities of primary school aged children with ASD in Nigeria. The objective of this study is to compare the intelligence quotient (IQ) of primary school pupils with autism spectrum disorders with that of their controls in Uyo, Nigeria. Gilliam Autism Rating Scale–second Edition (GARS-2) and Gilliam Asperger Disorder Scale (GADS) were used to identify school children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Their intelligence quotient was assessed using the Draw–A–Person–Test (DAPT). The findings were compared with that of their age, social class and gender matched controls. A total of 29 pupils with autism spectrum disorders were identified out of 2,641 studied. Twenty-six out of the 29 children with ASD were suitable for intelligence quotient estimation using DAPT; two of the pupils were less than 4 years of age and one had features suggestive of Down syndrome. Eleven out of 26 pupils (42%) assessed for intelligence quotient had intellectual disability (IQ75%). The overall mean IQ score of the pupils with ASD of 82.5±22.5 was significantly lower than that of the controls of 108.9±14.8 (p<0.01). Pupils with Asperger’s disorder had the highest mean IQ while those with autistic disorder had the least mean IQ with a statistically significant difference (p<0.01). ASD are associated with low IQ among school children in Uyo, Nigeria.},
     year = {2018}
    }
    

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    AU  - Emmanuel Eyo Ekanem
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    AB  - Although autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have been considered to be associated with intellectual disability, there is no known study on cognitive capacities of primary school aged children with ASD in Nigeria. The objective of this study is to compare the intelligence quotient (IQ) of primary school pupils with autism spectrum disorders with that of their controls in Uyo, Nigeria. Gilliam Autism Rating Scale–second Edition (GARS-2) and Gilliam Asperger Disorder Scale (GADS) were used to identify school children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Their intelligence quotient was assessed using the Draw–A–Person–Test (DAPT). The findings were compared with that of their age, social class and gender matched controls. A total of 29 pupils with autism spectrum disorders were identified out of 2,641 studied. Twenty-six out of the 29 children with ASD were suitable for intelligence quotient estimation using DAPT; two of the pupils were less than 4 years of age and one had features suggestive of Down syndrome. Eleven out of 26 pupils (42%) assessed for intelligence quotient had intellectual disability (IQ75%). The overall mean IQ score of the pupils with ASD of 82.5±22.5 was significantly lower than that of the controls of 108.9±14.8 (p<0.01). Pupils with Asperger’s disorder had the highest mean IQ while those with autistic disorder had the least mean IQ with a statistically significant difference (p<0.01). ASD are associated with low IQ among school children in Uyo, Nigeria.
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