Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41546808›Full record

ArticleJournal of autism and developmental disorders2026

Social Communication Difficulties in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD Level 1): The Mediating Role of Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome.

Burçin Şeyda Karaca, Gonca Özyurt

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Article in Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Burçin Şeyda KaracaChild and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Ministry of Health Balıkesir Atatürk City Hospital, Balıkesir, Turkey. burcinseydakaraca@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5338-6865
Gonca ÖzyurtChild and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Medical School, İzmir Katip Çelebi University, İzmir, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0508-0594

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThis study aimed to examine the mediating role of cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS) in explaining social communication difficulties in children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASDLevel 1).

methodsThe sample included 107 children (58 with ASD-Level 1 and 49 typically developing controls). Autism symptom severity (ASSQ), cognitive disengagement (CABI-SCT), social communication (SCQ), and daytime sleepiness (ESS-CHAD) were assessed. Group comparisons, correlation, regression, and mediation analyses were conducted.

resultsCompared to controls, the ASD-Level 1 group had significantly higher scores on ASSQ, CABI-SCT, and SCQ (p < .001). Regression analysis showed that both ASSQ (β = 0.382) and CABI-SCT (β = 0.124) significantly predicted SCQ scores, while Epworth had no effect. Mediation analysis indicated that CDS partially mediated the relationship between ASSQ and SCQ (indirect effect = 0.099, 95% CI [0.041, 0.181]).

conclusionFindings suggest that social communication deficits in ASDLevel 1 are not solely explained by core autism symptoms. CDS may independently and transdiagnostically contribute to social dysfunction and should be considered in clinical evaluations and interventions. The study emphasizes the need to move beyond core diagnostic criteria and incorporate cognitive disengagement processes into clinical models of autism. CDS may represent a novel, modifiable target for intervention in ASD-Level 1 populations with preserved cognitive capacity but impaired social functioning.

Indexed as

Autism spectrum disorder level 1Cognitive disengagement syndromeMediation analysis.Social communication

Identifiers

PMID41546808

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