Table 3.
Emotion knowledge, emotion regulation and social responsiveness in children with ASD, children with cerebral palsy and their typically developing peers. Non-parametric one-way ANOVA tests on ranks (Kruskal–Wallis), with post hoc pair-wise comparisons (p value) for the factor GROUP (ASD vs. CP vs. TPD) and Cohen d for effect sizes. In EMT, higher scores reflect better emotion knowledge; in responsiveness, higher scores reflect higher social impairment. ASD: Autism spectrum disorders, CP: Cerebral palsy, TDP: Typically developing peers. Asterisks (*) mark differences with TDP. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001.
| Children with ASD | Children with CP | TDP | Statistical Effects | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | p Value/Effect Size | |
| Emotion knowledge task | ||||
| EMT1 (emotion matching) | 10.27 (1.66) | 8.00 (2.73) *** | 10.34 (1.33) | ASD–TDPs: p = 0.872/d = 0.53 CP–TDPs: p < 0.001/d = 1.29 ASD–CP: p < 0.001/d = 1.04 |
| EMT2 (situational knowledge) | 9.39 (2.19) | 6.79 (2.66) *** | 10.12 (1.29) | ASD–TDPs: p = 0.229/d = 0.45 CP–TDPs: p < 0.001/d = 1.89 ASD–CP: p < 0.001/d = 1.08 |
| EMT3 (expressive knowledge) | 10.77 (1.03) | 9.31 (1.78) ** | 11.27 (0.87) | ASD–TDPs: p = 0.054/d = 0.54 CP–TDPs: p < 0.001/d = 1.67 ASD–CP: p = 017/d = 1.07 |
| EMT4 (receptive knowledge) | 10.44 (1.45) | 8.42 (2.89) *** | 10.70 (1.05) | ASD–TDPs: p = 0.588/d = 0.21 CP–TDPs: p < 0.001/d = 1.28 ASD–CP: p = 0.006/d = 0.92 |
| Emotion regulation checklist | ||||
| Emotion regulation | 3.13 (0.66) | 3.27 (0.52) | 3.20 (0.74) | ASD–TDPs: p = 0.488/d = 0.13 CP–TDPs: p = 0.968/d = 0.10 ASD–CP: p = 0.609/d = 0.22 |
| Emotion lability/negativity | 1.72 (0.66) | 2.05 (0.69) | 1.80 (0.59) | ASD–TDPs: p = 0.395/d = 0.10 CP–TDPs: p = 0.320/d = 0.40 ASD–CP: p = 0.096/d = 0.49 |
| Social responsiveness scale | ||||
| Social motivation | 17.22 (6.00) *** | 13.67 (5.58) | 10.95 (5.40) | ASD–TDPs: p < 0.001/d = 1.10 CP–TDPs: p = 0.055/d = 0.50 ASD–CP: p = 0.079/d = 0.62 |
| Social awareness | 12.72 (3.10) | 11.09 (3.89) | 11.53 (2.65) | ASD–TDPs: p = 0.355/d = 0.42 CP–TDPs: p = 0.798/d = 0.14 ASD–CP: p = 0.588/d = 0.48 |
| Social cognition | 19.50 (5.13) ** | 17.10 (5.17) | 14.26 (3.11) | ASD–TDPs: p = 0.002/d = 1.24 CP–TDPs: p = 0.110/d = 0.66 ASD–CP: p = 0.125/d = 0.47 |
| Social communication | 35.22 (10.03) ** | 24.14 (10.14) | 21.21 (6.42) | ASD–TDPs: p < 0.001/d = 1.42 CP–TDPs: p = 0.415/d = 0.34 ASD–CP: p = 0.001/d = 1.10 |
| Mannerism | 23.27 (6.92) *** | 13.67 (5.58) * | 6.32 (5.76) | ASD–TDPs: p = 0.016/d = 2.60 CP–TDPs: p < 0.001/d = 1.04 ASD–CP: p = 0.006/d = 1.48 |
| Total score | 107.67 (27.85) *** | 80.05 (26.96) | 64.26 (20.22) | ASD–TDPs: p < 0.001/d = 1.79 CP–TDPs: p = 0.055/d = 0.66 ASD–CP: p < 0.009/d = 1.01 |