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Biomedical subjects

D J Siegel

Publications and source records attributed to D J Siegel.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Memory: an overview, with emphasis on developmental, interpersonal, and neurobiological aspects.

OBJECTIVE: To review recent findings from memory research and related scientific studies and to provide an overview of their implications for clinical practice. METHOD: Published research data from a range of scientific disciplines are summarized and integrated into a conceptual framework regarding the interpersonal, neurobiological, and subjective nature of the development of memory. RESULTS: Memory is a fundamental property of the human mind that has been the focus of research of a wide range of academic disciplines. Convergent findings from these various studies suggest that the fundamental elements of memory can be best understood by focusing on its origins in the brain and the impact of social communication on its development. CONCLUSIONS: An interdisciplinary approach is important for the clinician who seeks to understand the various layers of memory that develop during the early years of life.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

A comparison of WAIS-R profiles in adults with high-functioning autism or differing subtypes of learning disability.

To examine cognitive differences among adults with differing developmental disorders, a comparison of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revisedprofiles was made with samples of 35 individuals with high-functioning autism (HFA) and 102 individuals with adult learning disability (LD). All participants had Verbal andPerformance IQ scores of 70 or higher. The LD group was divided into 3 subtypes based on relative achievement levels in mechanical reading and arithmetic. The group with HFA had a profile characterized by a high score on Block Design with a low Comprehension score. The HFA group most resembled the LD subtype that had superior achievement in reading relative to arithmetic, with the exception of their poor performance on measures of social perception and judgment. Results are discussed in terms of the substantial differences in cognitive structure between these 2 neurodevelopmental disorders and are considered in the context of the learning deficits reported for Asperger 's Disorder and nonverbal learning disability.

Achievement↗
PubMed1997

Neuropsychologic functioning in autism: profile of a complex information processing disorder.

Neurobehavioral theories of autism have hypothesized core deficits in sensory input or perception, basic attentional abilities or generalized attention to extrapersonal space, anterograde memory, auditory information processing, higher order memory abilities, conceptual reasoning abilities, executive function, control mechanisms of attention, and higher order abilities across domains. A neuropsychologic battery designed to investigate these hypotheses was administered to 33 rigorously diagnosed autistic individuals with IQ scores greater than 80, and 33 individually matched normal controls. Stepwise discriminant function was used to define the profile of neuropsychologic functioning across domains. The neuropsychologic profile in these autistic individuals was defined by impairments in skilled motor, complex memory, complex language, and reasoning domains, and by intact or superior performance in the attention, simple memory, simple language, and visual-spatial domains. This profile is not consistent with mental retardation or with a general deficit syndrome, but rather with a selective impairment in complex information processing that does not involve visual-spatial processing. This profile is not consistent with a single primary deficit, but with a multiple primary deficit model in which the deficit pattern within and across domains is reflective of the complexity of the information processing demands. This neuropsychologic profile is furthermore consistent with the neurophysiologic characterization of autism as a late information processing disorder with sparing of early information processing.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Wechsler IQ profiles in diagnosis of high-functioning autism.

A Wechsler Intelligence Scale profile characterized by VIQ < PIQ with lowest subtest score on Comprehension and highest on Block Design has been associated with autism. Recently, this profile has been applied to assess the accuracy of diagnosis in research samples and for differentiating autism from similar disorders in high-functioning individuals. Universality of this profile, however, has not been sufficiently demonstrated. We therefore examined WISC-R and WAIS-R profile characteristics in 81 rigorously diagnosed high-functioning (VIQ and FSIQ > 70) children (n = 45) and adults (n = 36) with autism. Analysis of the profiles in these groups did not reveal the presumed typical VIQ < PIQ pattern. The typical subtest pattern was found, but the magnitude of profile variability was small. We concluded that individuals with autism can demonstrate a wide range of ability levels and patterns on the Wechsler scales, without a single characteristic prototype. Use of IQ score profiles in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of autism in high-functioning individuals is not considered valid.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Academic achievement in high functioning autistic individuals.

Academic achievement levels in 54 high functioning (IQ > 70) autistic subjects were compared with those of 41 normal controls, who did not differ significantly in age, IQ, gender, race, or SES from the autistic subjects. The measures of academic achievement used included portions of the Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude-2, the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test, and the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement. Based on prior neuropsychological findings, it was hypothesized that autistic subjects would not differ from controls on subtests assessing mechanical and procedural skills, but would differ on subtests measuring comprehension and interpretive skills. As predicted, the autistic subjects performed significantly less well than controls on comprehension tasks, but not on mechanical reading, spelling, and computational tasks. This pattern is at variance with the typical academic profile of individuals with disabilities in reading or spelling, but shares some features with the nonverbal learning disabilities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Age differences in academic achievement in high-functioning autistic individuals.

A battery of psychoeducational tests was administered to samples of high-functioning (IQ > 70) autistic subjects and normal controls. A previous psychoeducational study indicated the presence of preserved procedural and mechanical academic skills accompanied by impaired comprehension and interpretive skills in high-functioning autistic individuals. The present findings indicate that this psychoeducational pattern also has a developmental aspect. Younger (< 13 years) autistic subjects performed as well or better than younger controls on psychoeducational measures of mechanical and procedural skills, and on some complex, interpretive tasks. However, they performed more poorly than controls on tasks that involve following complex linguistic instructions. Younger autistic subjects and controls did not differ significantly from each other on interpretive tasks, while the older austic subjects did significantly more poorly than the older controls on such tasks. The findings are discussed in terms of early success, but subsequent decline, in the course of academic functioning in autism.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Verbal problem solving in high functioning autistic individuals.

The verbal problem-solving and abstract reasoning ability of 25 high-functioning autistic individuals ages 11 to 41 was compared with normal controls individually matched on age, gender, race, IQ, and educational level. The Twenty Questions Procedure was administered using a grid of 42 common objects. Time to complete the task, number of correct solutions, and number and type of questions asked were analyzed. Results indicated that controls were more often successful in achieving solutions, and in formulating constraint seeking questions that conceptually grouped, ordered, and sorted the objects. In contrast, the autistics relied primarily on guessing. Findings are consistent with prior studies reporting a core deficit in autism involving abstract reasoning ability.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1986

Borderline personality disorder in the elderly: a case study.

Little is known about the natural history of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) among the aged. A case is presented of a 69-year-old woman who met six of the eight DSM-III criteria for the diagnosis of BPD. The case suggests that features of BPD persist throughout life and may worsen with the stresses associated with aging.

Aged↗