Table 2.
Group comparisons of the self-reported questionnaires
| ASD | COM | Group | Sex | Group × sex | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M (SD) | M (SD) | F | η p 2 | F | η p 2 | F | η p 2 | |
| AQ | ||||||||
| Total score | 32.9 (8.4) | 12.5 (5.5) | 560.86*** | 0.57 | 0.68 | 0.00 | 12.55*** | 0.03 |
| Social skills | 7.1 (2.5) | 1.8 (1.9) | 399.62*** | 0.48 | 0.06 | 0.00 | 8.05** | 0.02 |
| Attention switching | 7.5 (2.2) | 2.5 (1.8) | 428.42*** | 0.50 | 0.78 | 0.00 | 8.98** | 0.02 |
| Attention to detail | 6.2 (2.4) | 3.6 (2.2) | 110.03*** | 0.21 | 3.84 | 0.01 | 0.57 | 0.00 |
| Communication | 6.4 (2.4) | 1.8 (1.5) | 345.84*** | 0.45 | 0.04 | 0.00 | 9.66** | 0.02 |
| Imagination | 5.7 (2.2) | 2.8 (1.8) | 128.07*** | 0.23 | 0.06 | 0.00 | 6.44* | 0.02 |
| IRI | ||||||||
| Perspective taking | 12.6 (5.2) | 18.3 (3.9) | 86.58*** | 0.20 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.97** | 0.02 |
| Fantasy | 12.5 (6.1) | 14.9 (5.6) | 6.25* | 0.02 | 1.20 | 0.00 | 6.65* | 0.02 |
| Empathic concern | 15.6 (4.9) | 17.2 (4.3) | 0.99 | 0.00 | 29.29*** | 0.08 | 1.81 | 0.01 |
| Personal distress | 14.9 (5.4) | 10.1 (4.7) | 53.29*** | 0.14 | 13.92*** | 0.04 | 0.51 | 0.00 |
| SSQ | ||||||||
| Total | 5.6 (2.9) | 2.4 (1.9) | 145.54*** | 0.31 | 27.22*** | 0.08 | 8.01** | 0.02 |
| Age | Age2 | Group × age | Group × age2 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | η p 2 | F | η p 2 | F | η p 2 | F | η p 2 | |
| AQ | ||||||||
| Total score | 3.51 | 0.01 | 2.48 | 0.01 | 12.92*** | 0.03 | 13.10*** | 0.03 |
| Social skills | 1.63 | 0.00 | 0.36 | 0.00 | 7.92** | 0.02 | 7.36** | 0.02 |
| Attention switching | 0.06 | 0.00 | 0.08 | 0.00 | 7.37** | 0.02 | 7.49** | 0.02 |
| Attention to detail | 3.62 | 0.01 | 6.20* | 0.01 | 8.88** | 0.02 | 10.50** | 0.02 |
| Communication | 1.95 | 0.01 | 0.86 | 0.00 | 4.62* | 0.01 | 4.20* | 0.01 |
| Imagination | 2.19 | 0.01 | 0.83 | 0.00 | 2.23 | 0.01 | 2.18 | 0.01 |
| IRI | ||||||||
| Perspective taking | 0.63 | 0.00 | 0.89 | 0.00 | 1.20 | 0.00 | 0.79 | 0.00 |
| Fantasy | 0.85 | 0.00 | 0.18 | 0.00 | 0.15 | 0.00 | 0.23 | 0.00 |
| Empathic concern | 1.68 | 0.01 | 1.31 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 0.01 | 2.68 | 0.01 |
| Personal distress | 3.67 | 0.01 | 4.36* | 0.01 | 0.59 | 0.00 | 0.40 | 0.00 |
| SSQ | ||||||||
| Total | 6.13* | 0.02 | 7.02** | 0.02 | 7.13** | 0.02 | 9.02** | 0.03 |
Significant values after Bonferroni correction (α= 0.05/6 = 0.0083 for AQ; α = 0.05/4 = 0.0125 for IRI) are indicated in bold script. Please note that no Bonferroni correction was needed for SSQ data
ASD autism spectrum disorder, COM comparison group, AQ autism-spectrum quotient, IRI interpersonal reactivity index, SSQ sensory sensitivity questionnaire
* p ≤ .05
** p < .01
*** p ≤ .001