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Copy of CPA 2025 Snapshot Brochu

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BackgroundReferencesSOCIAL PROFILESIN AUTISMSocial competence—the skills and abilities thathelp us interact successfully with others—isespecially important during childhood, a timeof learning and development. Among autisticchildren, social competence can look differentfrom one child to the next , and it may differfrom what we typically see in non-autisticchildren .12In some cases, certain characteristics of socialcompetence might consistently occurtogether, forming social competence profiles.Recognizing these profiles can help us betterunderstand how social competence developsin autistic children and how to support themeffectively.Notably, not all children have the same accessto social competence supports orinterventions. Socioeconomic status (SES) mayplay a role in shaping the experiences andopportunities that are important to socialdevelopment. Accordingly, SES has beenshown to relate to challenges in socialcompetence . 3The aim of this study was to identify socialprofiles in autistic children and examine howSES may differ across these profiles. Jade Stobbart , Nichole Scheerer , Natalia Van Esch , Grace Iarocci1 2 2 1Simon Fraser University, Department of Psychology, Burnaby, BC; 1Wilfrid Laurier University, Department of Psychology, Waterloo, ON2And the Influence ofSocioeconomic Status1. Yager, J., & Iarocci, G. (2013). The Development of theMultidimensional Social Competence Scale: A StandardizedMeasure of Social Competence in Autism Spectrum Disorders:Social competence in autism. Autism Research, 6(6), 631–641.https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.13312. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statisticalmanual of mental disorders. 5th ed. Arlington: AmericanPsychiatric Publishing, 2013.3. Iversen, A. C., & Holsen, I. (2008). Inequality in Health,Psychosocial Resources and Health Behavior in Early Adolescence:The Influence of Different Indicators of Socioeconomic Position.Child Indicators Research, 1(3), 291–302.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-008-9015-5 Message

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0.0-0.20.00.20.40.60.81.01.20.0-0.2-0.4-0.6-0.8-1.0-1.20.00.20.0-0.2-0.40.00.20.40.60.81.00.0-0.2-0.40.00.20.40.60.81.0PARTICIPANTS The study Male78.7%Female21.3%Four social profilesHOW DOES SESINFLUENCE SOCIALPROFILES?Scan the QR code for moredetails on the MSCS:Social competence was measured using theMultidimensional Social Competence Scale(MSCS) parent-version. The MSCS consists ofseven domains:MEASURES1) SOCIALLY ADAPTIVE2) GENERALIZEDSOCIAL DIFFERENCES3) EMOTIONALLYREGULATED VERBALCOMMUNICATORS4) MOTIVATED NON-VERBALCOMMUNICATORSCharacterized by aboveaverage scores across alldomains.n = 268 autistic childrenM = 8.61, SD = 1.32ageRange: 5.98 years – 10.98 yearsSocial motivation–comfort with, interestin, and enjoyment from interpersonalinteractionsSocial inferencing–ability to detect andinterpret social cuesDemonstrating empathetic concern–ability to recognize and respondappropriately to others’ emotions andneedsSocial knowledge–understanding ofsocial normsVerbal conversation skills–ability toinitiate, maintain, and end conversationsNon-verbal sending skills–appropriateuse of non-verbal communication (e.g.,gestures, facial expressions, tone ofvoice)Emotion regulation–ability to manageand modulate negative emotional statesSES was categorized as high (>80,000), mid($50,000-$79,999), and low (<$49,999).Characterized by belowaverage scores across alldomains.Characterized by aboveaverage scores in socialmotivation and non-verbalsending skills.Characterized by aboveaverage scores in socialinferencing, socialknowledge, verbalconversation skills, andemotion regulation.Children from higher SES backgrounds wereover-represented in Profile 3 (p = .011) andunder-represented in Profile 4. (p = .005).Environments afforded by high SES mightsupport more structured cognitive,emotional, and skills-based aspects of socialcompetence (e.g., conversation skills,reasoning about others’ thoughts), but notnecessarily interest in social interaction ornon-verbal communication skills. What does this mean?Children from lower SES backgrounds wereover-represented in Profile 4. (p = .014)The overrepresentation of low SES in aprofile with high social motivation and strongnon-verbal communication highlightsimportant social strengths that flourish evenwithout the supports and opportunitiesafforded by high SES environments. Thisunderscores the need for economicallyaccessible supports and targetedinterventions skills related to socialunderstanding (e.g., picking up on socialcues, conversational skills). 4What does this mean?Overall...In addition to consideringsocioeconomic status,supports and resourcesshould match a child’s socialprofile. Equity in servicesmeans addressing individualstrengths and needs—notsimply increasing “one-size-fits-all” supports.n = 60 n = 52n = 93 n = 63ANALYSISK-means cluster analysis and chi-square test.

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0.0-0.20.00.20.40.60.81.01.20.0-0.2-0.4-0.6-0.8-1.0-1.20.00.20.0-0.2-0.40.00.20.40.60.81.00.0-0.2-0.40.00.20.40.60.81.0PARTICIPANTS The study Male78.7%Female21.3%Four social profilesHOW DOES SESINFLUENCE SOCIALPROFILES?Scan the QR code for moredetails on the MSCS:Social competence was measured using theMultidimensional Social Competence Scale(MSCS) parent-version. The MSCS consists ofseven domains:MEASURES1) SOCIALLY ADAPTIVE2) GENERALIZEDSOCIAL DIFFERENCES3) EMOTIONALLYREGULATED VERBALCOMMUNICATORS4) MOTIVATED NON-VERBALCOMMUNICATORSCharacterized by aboveaverage scores across alldomains.n = 268 autistic childrenM = 8.61, SD = 1.32ageRange: 5.98 years – 10.98 yearsSocial motivation–comfort with, interestin, and enjoyment from interpersonalinteractionsSocial inferencing–ability to detect andinterpret social cuesDemonstrating empathetic concern–ability to recognize and respondappropriately to others’ emotions andneedsSocial knowledge–understanding ofsocial normsVerbal conversation skills–ability toinitiate, maintain, and end conversationsNon-verbal sending skills–appropriateuse of non-verbal communication (e.g.,gestures, facial expressions, tone ofvoice)Emotion regulation–ability to manageand modulate negative emotional statesSES was categorized as high (>80,000), mid($50,000-$79,999), and low (<$49,999).Characterized by belowaverage scores across alldomains.Characterized by aboveaverage scores in socialmotivation and non-verbalsending skills.Characterized by aboveaverage scores in socialinferencing, socialknowledge, verbalconversation skills, andemotion regulation.Children from higher SES backgrounds wereover-represented in Profile 3 (p = .011) andunder-represented in Profile 4. (p = .005).Environments afforded by high SES mightsupport more structured cognitive,emotional, and skills-based aspects of socialcompetence (e.g., conversation skills,reasoning about others’ thoughts), but notnecessarily interest in social interaction ornon-verbal communication skills. What does this mean?Children from lower SES backgrounds wereover-represented in Profile 4. (p = .014)The overrepresentation of low SES in aprofile with high social motivation and strongnon-verbal communication highlightsimportant social strengths that flourish evenwithout the supports and opportunitiesafforded by high SES environments. Thisunderscores the need for economicallyaccessible supports and targetedinterventions skills related to socialunderstanding (e.g., picking up on socialcues, conversational skills). 4What does this mean?Overall...In addition to consideringsocioeconomic status,supports and resourcesshould match a child’s socialprofile. Equity in servicesmeans addressing individualstrengths and needs—notsimply increasing “one-size-fits-all” supports.n = 60 n = 52n = 93 n = 63ANALYSISK-means cluster analysis and chi-square test.

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0.0-0.20.00.20.40.60.81.01.20.0-0.2-0.4-0.6-0.8-1.0-1.20.00.20.0-0.2-0.40.00.20.40.60.81.00.0-0.2-0.40.00.20.40.60.81.0PARTICIPANTS The study Male78.7%Female21.3%Four social profilesHOW DOES SESINFLUENCE SOCIALPROFILES?Scan the QR code for moredetails on the MSCS:Social competence was measured using theMultidimensional Social Competence Scale(MSCS) parent-version. The MSCS consists ofseven domains:MEASURES1) SOCIALLY ADAPTIVE2) GENERALIZEDSOCIAL DIFFERENCES3) EMOTIONALLYREGULATED VERBALCOMMUNICATORS4) MOTIVATED NON-VERBALCOMMUNICATORSCharacterized by aboveaverage scores across alldomains.n = 268 autistic childrenM = 8.61, SD = 1.32ageRange: 5.98 years – 10.98 yearsSocial motivation–comfort with, interestin, and enjoyment from interpersonalinteractionsSocial inferencing–ability to detect andinterpret social cuesDemonstrating empathetic concern–ability to recognize and respondappropriately to others’ emotions andneedsSocial knowledge–understanding ofsocial normsVerbal conversation skills–ability toinitiate, maintain, and end conversationsNon-verbal sending skills–appropriateuse of non-verbal communication (e.g.,gestures, facial expressions, tone ofvoice)Emotion regulation–ability to manageand modulate negative emotional statesSES was categorized as high (>80,000), mid($50,000-$79,999), and low (<$49,999).Characterized by belowaverage scores across alldomains.Characterized by aboveaverage scores in socialmotivation and non-verbalsending skills.Characterized by aboveaverage scores in socialinferencing, socialknowledge, verbalconversation skills, andemotion regulation.Children from higher SES backgrounds wereover-represented in Profile 3 (p = .011) andunder-represented in Profile 4. (p = .005).Environments afforded by high SES mightsupport more structured cognitive,emotional, and skills-based aspects of socialcompetence (e.g., conversation skills,reasoning about others’ thoughts), but notnecessarily interest in social interaction ornon-verbal communication skills. What does this mean?Children from lower SES backgrounds wereover-represented in Profile 4. (p = .014)The overrepresentation of low SES in aprofile with high social motivation and strongnon-verbal communication highlightsimportant social strengths that flourish evenwithout the supports and opportunitiesafforded by high SES environments. Thisunderscores the need for economicallyaccessible supports and targetedinterventions skills related to socialunderstanding (e.g., picking up on socialcues, conversational skills). 4What does this mean?Overall...In addition to consideringsocioeconomic status,supports and resourcesshould match a child’s socialprofile. Equity in servicesmeans addressing individualstrengths and needs—notsimply increasing “one-size-fits-all” supports.n = 60 n = 52n = 93 n = 63ANALYSISK-means cluster analysis and chi-square test.

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BackgroundReferencesSOCIAL PROFILESIN AUTISMSocial competence—the skills and abilities thathelp us interact successfully with others—isespecially important during childhood, a timeof learning and development. Among autisticchildren, social competence can look differentfrom one child to the next , and it may differfrom what we typically see in non-autisticchildren .12In some cases, certain characteristics of socialcompetence might consistently occurtogether, forming social competence profiles.Recognizing these profiles can help us betterunderstand how social competence developsin autistic children and how to support themeffectively.Notably, not all children have the same accessto social competence supports orinterventions. Socioeconomic status (SES) mayplay a role in shaping the experiences andopportunities that are important to socialdevelopment. Accordingly, SES has beenshown to relate to challenges in socialcompetence . 3The aim of this study was to identify socialprofiles in autistic children and examine howSES may differ across these profiles. Jade Stobbart , Nichole Scheerer , Natalia Van Esch , Grace Iarocci1 2 2 1Simon Fraser University, Department of Psychology, Burnaby, BC; 1Wilfrid Laurier University, Department of Psychology, Waterloo, ON2And the Influence ofSocioeconomic Status1. Yager, J., & Iarocci, G. (2013). The Development of theMultidimensional Social Competence Scale: A StandardizedMeasure of Social Competence in Autism Spectrum Disorders:Social competence in autism. Autism Research, 6(6), 631–641.https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.13312. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statisticalmanual of mental disorders. 5th ed. Arlington: AmericanPsychiatric Publishing, 2013.3. Iversen, A. C., & Holsen, I. (2008). Inequality in Health,Psychosocial Resources and Health Behavior in Early Adolescence:The Influence of Different Indicators of Socioeconomic Position.Child Indicators Research, 1(3), 291–302.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-008-9015-5

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BackgroundReferencesSOCIAL PROFILESIN AUTISMSocial competence—the skills and abilities thathelp us interact successfully with others—isespecially important during childhood, a timeof learning and development. Among autisticchildren, social competence can look differentfrom one child to the next , and it may differfrom what we typically see in non-autisticchildren .12In some cases, certain characteristics of socialcompetence might consistently occurtogether, forming social competence profiles.Recognizing these profiles can help us betterunderstand how social competence developsin autistic children and how to support themeffectively.Notably, not all children have the same accessto social competence supports orinterventions. Socioeconomic status (SES) mayplay a role in shaping the experiences andopportunities that are important to socialdevelopment. Accordingly, SES has beenshown to relate to challenges in socialcompetence . 3The aim of this study was to identify socialprofiles in autistic children and examine howSES may differ across these profiles. Jade Stobbart , Nichole Scheerer , Natalia Van Esch , Grace Iarocci1 2 2 1Simon Fraser University, Department of Psychology, Burnaby, BC; 1Wilfrid Laurier University, Department of Psychology, Waterloo, ON2And the Influence ofSocioeconomic Status1. Yager, J., & Iarocci, G. (2013). The Development of theMultidimensional Social Competence Scale: A StandardizedMeasure of Social Competence in Autism Spectrum Disorders:Social competence in autism. Autism Research, 6(6), 631–641.https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.13312. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statisticalmanual of mental disorders. 5th ed. Arlington: AmericanPsychiatric Publishing, 2013.3. Iversen, A. C., & Holsen, I. (2008). Inequality in Health,Psychosocial Resources and Health Behavior in Early Adolescence:The Influence of Different Indicators of Socioeconomic Position.Child Indicators Research, 1(3), 291–302.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-008-9015-5