Funciones cognitivas y reconocimiento de emocional en pacientes con trastorno del espectro autista de alto funcionamiento
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Fecha
2025
Autores
Nieves Castro, Cristina Eliana
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Ediciones Universidad Simón Bolívar
Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud
Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud
Resumen
El Trastorno del Espectro Autista (TEA) constituye un trastorno del neurodesarrollo caracterizado por alteraciones en la comunicación, la interacción social y la presencia de conductas repetitivas o restringidas, siendo una condición de creciente interés clínico y científico debido a sus implicaciones en la calidad de vida y la inclusión social de quienes lo presentan; dentro de este espectro, el autismo de alto funcionamiento (TEA-AF) se distingue por un coeficiente intelectual dentro del rango normal o superior, aunque con persistentes dificultades en el ámbito socioemocional, especialmente en el reconocimiento de emociones y en la comprensión de las sutilezas del lenguaje verbal, lo que plantea la necesidad de comprender de manera más profunda el perfil cognitivo y emocional de estos individuos. En este contexto, el presente estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar el funcionamiento cognitivo y la capacidad de reconocimiento emocional en adolescentes con TEA-AF en comparación con pares neurotípicos, a través de un diseño analítico de corte transversal con una muestra de 40 participantes (20 con diagnóstico de TEA-AF y 20 neurotípicos) con edades entre 12 y 15 años; para ello se utilizaron la Escala de Inteligencia de Wechsler para Niños-IV (WISC-IV), que permitió identificar fortalezas y debilidades en los distintos dominios cognitivos, y la Evaluación Neuropsicológica Infantil (ENI), centrada en la capacidad para reconocer expresiones emocionales faciales. Los resultados obtenidos mostraron que los adolescentes con TEA-AF presentaron un perfil cognitivo heterogéneo caracterizado por puntuaciones significativamente más altas en razonamiento perceptivo (100.4 ± 4.5 frente a 95.3 ± 5.0; p = 0.002) y en velocidad de procesamiento (104.4 ± 6.5 frente a 98.1 ± 5.8; p = 0.003), lo que evidencia fortalezas en procesos de discriminación visual, atención al detalle y eficiencia en tareas perceptivas; sin embargo, también se identificaron debilidades importantes en comprensión verbal (89.8 ± 4.7 frente a 106.6 ± 5.9; p < 0.001) y en el reconocimiento de emociones faciales (mediana de 4, IQR: 2–4 frente a 8, IQR: 7–8; p < 0.001), lo cual sugiere que, a pesar de sus fortalezas cognitivas, estos individuos encuentran serias limitaciones en dominios clave para la cognición social.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent impairments in communication, social interaction, and the presence of repetitive or restricted behaviors, representing a growing clinical and scientific concern due to its significant impact on quality of life and social inclusion. Within the spectrum, High-Functioning Autism (HFA-ASD) is distinguished by intellectual abilities within or above the average range, yet individuals continue to face socioemotional challenges, particularly in emotional recognition and in understanding the subtleties of verbal language, highlighting the importance of further exploring their cognitive and emotional profiles. Against this backdrop, the present study aimed to evaluate cognitive functioning and emotional recognition abilities in adolescents with HFA- ASD compared to neurotypical peers, using an analytical cross-sectional design with a sample of 40 participants (20 diagnosed with HFA-ASD and 20 neurotypical individuals) aged between 12 and 15 years. To assess these domains, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV (WISC-IV) was administered to measure cognitive strengths and weaknesses, while the Child Neuropsychological Assessment (ENI) was employed to evaluate the ability to recognize facial emotional expressions. The results revealed a heterogeneous cognitive profile in adolescents with HFA-ASD, who exhibited significantly higher scores in perceptual reasoning (100.4 ± 4.5 vs. 95.3 ± 5.0; p = 0.002) and processing speed (104.4 ± 6.5 vs. 98.1 ± 5.8; p = 0.003), suggesting cognitive strengths in visual discrimination, attention to detail, and efficiency in perceptual tasks. However, marked difficulties were found in verbal comprehension (89.8 ± 4.7 vs. 106.6 ± 5.9; p < 0.001) and in facial emotion recognition (median 4, IQR: 2–4 vs. 8, IQR: 7–8; p < 0.001), indicating that despite their strengths, these individuals face critical limitations in domains essential for social cognition.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent impairments in communication, social interaction, and the presence of repetitive or restricted behaviors, representing a growing clinical and scientific concern due to its significant impact on quality of life and social inclusion. Within the spectrum, High-Functioning Autism (HFA-ASD) is distinguished by intellectual abilities within or above the average range, yet individuals continue to face socioemotional challenges, particularly in emotional recognition and in understanding the subtleties of verbal language, highlighting the importance of further exploring their cognitive and emotional profiles. Against this backdrop, the present study aimed to evaluate cognitive functioning and emotional recognition abilities in adolescents with HFA- ASD compared to neurotypical peers, using an analytical cross-sectional design with a sample of 40 participants (20 diagnosed with HFA-ASD and 20 neurotypical individuals) aged between 12 and 15 years. To assess these domains, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV (WISC-IV) was administered to measure cognitive strengths and weaknesses, while the Child Neuropsychological Assessment (ENI) was employed to evaluate the ability to recognize facial emotional expressions. The results revealed a heterogeneous cognitive profile in adolescents with HFA-ASD, who exhibited significantly higher scores in perceptual reasoning (100.4 ± 4.5 vs. 95.3 ± 5.0; p = 0.002) and processing speed (104.4 ± 6.5 vs. 98.1 ± 5.8; p = 0.003), suggesting cognitive strengths in visual discrimination, attention to detail, and efficiency in perceptual tasks. However, marked difficulties were found in verbal comprehension (89.8 ± 4.7 vs. 106.6 ± 5.9; p < 0.001) and in facial emotion recognition (median 4, IQR: 2–4 vs. 8, IQR: 7–8; p < 0.001), indicating that despite their strengths, these individuals face critical limitations in domains essential for social cognition.
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Palabras clave
Autismo, WISC-IV, ENI, Alto funcionamiento, Evaluación cognitiva
