Components of Emotion Knowledge in Subtypes of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

Deficits in emotion knowledge can impact children's social-emotional interactions, which are particularly evident in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, consistent evidence regarding emotion knowledge and its individual components across ASD subtypes, as defined by ICD-10, remained limited. This study investigates emotion knowledge development – both as a whole and in seven specific components – in children with ASD, categorized by subtype, and compares them with a matched group of children without ASD using nearest neighbor matching based on gender, age, and language background. The sample includes 79 children with ASD (68 boys, 11 girls; ages 5–10): Childhood Autism (n = 33), Atypical Autism (n = 15), and Asperger’s Syndrome (n = 31). Participants completed the Adaptive Test of Emotion Knowledge for Three-to Nine-year-olds (ATEM 3-9). A control group of 152 children without ASD was drawn from the ATEM 3-9 norming sample. Results reveal significant differences in emotion knowledge development across ASD subtypes. Children with Childhood Autism scored significantly lower than children without ASD, whereas children with Asperger’s Syndrome or Atypical Autism showed no significant differences compared to the control group. These findings suggest that emotion knowledge deficits in ASD are subtype specific. Future research should account for these distinctions when examining emotional development in children with ASD.