Emotivity and social communication in autism spectrum disorder without intellectual deficit. A review.
Keywords:
Autism Spectrum Disorder, expressed emotion, social cognition, social skills, Interpersonal Relations, emotional regulationAbstract
Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder with basic support needs/level 1 is framed in autism spectrum disorder without associated intellectual deficiency or formal language difficulties. It courses with altered communication and language at a functional or social level and with altered recognition of emotions.
Objectives: The objective of this review is to determine emotional and social communication characteristics in people with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual deficit. To establish comorbid disorders in autism spectrum disorder without intellectual deficit. To expose different mechanisms or techniques to enhance and promote expression and emotional recognition in people with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual deficit.
Methods: Narrative review. The search was carried out on PubMed, Cochrane and Dialnet databases, as well as on the websites of health and research organizations such as the Spanish Autism Confederation, DSM-5, World Health Organization, and the National Statistic Institute. Publications are included between 2011 and 2023.
Results: After a search, 22 articles were selected. People with Autism Spectrum Disorder without intellectual deficit have deficits in individual or other people emotion recognition, at the level of facial expressions and non-verbal language. It is associated with comorbid disorders of depression and anxiety along with a higher prevalence of risk of suicidal behavior. There are different tools such as virtual reality, interactive games or socio-emotional skills training that improve present deficiencies.
Conclusion: Emotional alterations lead to impaired communication and social functioning. Social isolation, rejection, and adaptation problems along with comorbid disorders such as anxiety, depression, and high risk of self-injury, which are prevalent in autism spectrum disorder without intellectual deficit, decrease quality of life. To promote emotional recognition, there are interventions such as virtual reality, games or training of socio-emotional skills that allow contact with real situations of social interaction.
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