Table 4.
Quasi-Autism and Theory of Mind
| Study | Country of origin | Severity of deprivation | Age at assessment | N | Construct measured | Outcome measure | Age at adoption: Distribution | Age at adoption: Measurement | Statistical test | Significant effect of age at adoption? | Form of the relationship? | Relationship with other variables? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive Results | ||||||||||||
| Rutter, Kreppner, & O’Connor (2001) | Romania | Globally depriving | 6y | 165 | Quasiautistic features | ASQ, ADI-R (parent-report, experimenter tested) | 58 < 6m, 59 6–24m, 48 24–42m | < 6m, 6–24m, > 24m | chi square trends | yes | — | — |
| Rutter, Sonuga-Barke, Beckett, Castle, Kreppner, Kumsta, Schlotz, Stevens, & Bell (2010) | Romania | Globally depriving | 6y, 11y, 15y | 144 | Quasiautism | SCQ for screening, then ADI-R and ADOS (parent-report, experimenter tested) | 58 < 6m, 59 6–24m, 48 24–42m | < 6m, > 6m | none (listed % with problems in each group); regression | yes | — | not mediated by head circumference |
| Sonuga-Barke, Beckett, Kreppner, Castle, Colvert, Stevens, Hawkins, & Rutter (2008) | Romania | Globally depriving | 11y | 138 | Quasiautistic features | SCQ (parent-report) | .5m–3y7m | < 6m, > 6m | ANOVA | yes | — | Effect was independent of subnutrition status; not mediated by head circumference |
| Mixed Results | ||||||||||||
| Colvert, Rutter, Kreppner, Beckett, Castle, Groothues, Hawkins, Stevens, & Sonuga-Barke (2008b) | Romania | Globally depriving1 | 11y | 144 | Theory of mind | Strange Stories Task (experimenter tested) | 58 < 6m, 59 6–24m, 48 24–42m | continuous, < 6m, > 6m | correlation, ANOVA, ANCOVA | yes; ns when correlated only within > 6m group | probable step function at 6m | still significant after co-varying IQ |
Note. Top section includes positive results, bottom section includes mixed results
ASQ = Autism Screening Questionnaire, ADI-R = Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised, SCQ = Social Communication Questionnaire, ADOS = Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, m = months, y = years
1
This article did not provide information about the conditions of these institutions, but other studies from the same authors on the same sample did describe the severity of the deprivation.