Amanda Schulkowsky EPSE 549 Mathematical Aptitude and Autism

Introduction

The topic of mathematics and people diagnosed with autism is of great interest to me because of my background in teaching mathematics. As I progressed in my career, I have found that students diagnosed with autism need extra interventions in mathematics; however, when given the right tools these individuals have been very intuitive in solving the math problems. The number system is based on patterns and when an autistic individual recognizes those patterns, their mathematical understanding becomes very clear and they are able to solve problems very quickly. The following are three research articles that have conducted experiments in finding out if mathematical aptitude is truly an autistic trait or just a myth perpetuated by Hollywood movies.

Article 1

Baron-Cohen, S., Wheelwright, S., Burtenshaw, A., & Hobson, E. (2007). Mathematical talent is linked to autism. Human Nature, 18, 125-131.

The purpose of this research study was to determine of there was any link between individuals who were diagnosed with autism and individuals who have a proven talent in the study of mathematics. This study not only looked at the individuals who were studying mathematics at an undergraduate level but also looked at the individuals families to find if there were any autism diagnoses.

The participants of this study were 792 students who attended Cambridge University in Cambridge, England. The researchers divided these participants into two groups: 378 students

Amanda Schulkowsky EPSE 549 who were enrolled in mathematics undergraduate degrees and a control group consisting of 414 students who were enrolled in other disciplines such as law, medicine, and social sciences.

The research was conducted using a survey that was given to all participants. The survey consisted of the following questions:

1. 2.

Do you have a formally diagnosed autism spectrum condition? How many relatives in your immediate family (excluding yourself) have a

formally diagnosed autism spectrum condition?

If a participant had indicated that they or a relative have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, the researcher contacted these individuals to confirm the validity of the diagnosis.

The results showed that out of the 378 students enrolled in mathematics, there were seven confirmed diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder. Out of the 414 students in the control group there was only one confirmed diagnosis of autism. This means that 1.85 % of the mathematics group had autism and only .24% of the control group had autism. The authors compared these statistics to the general population where the prevalence of autism was at a rate of .65%. (Cohen et al., 2007)

The authors concluded their study by confirming their original hypothesis to prove that there was a higher incidence of autism in the study of mathematics. The statistics showed that the rate of autism was nine times higher in the mathematics group than was in the control group. This led the authors to make the assumption that mathematical talent is linked to autism.

Amanda Schulkowsky EPSE 549 Article 2

Griswold, D., Barnhill, G., Myles, B., Hagiwara, T., & Simpson, R. (2002). Asperger syndrome and academic achievement. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 17, 94-102.

The purpose of this study was to establish a pattern in the strengths and weaknesses of academic ability in students diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. The researchers thought that there was a common idea that individuals diagnosed with Asperger syndrome have typical academic strengths in memorizing fact based material (Griswold et al., 2002). Based on this assumption, the researchers felt that further exploration was necessary to back up the common belief.

The participants included 21 students, 19 males and 2 females, all diagnosed with Asperger syndrome ranging in age from 6-16 years old. The participants had all shown an IQ range of 66 to 144 as measured by the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children-Revised.

For the research procedure, graduate students who were trained in standardized testing conducted assessments on the 21 participants. The tests administered were the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT), Test of Problem Solving Elementary Revised (TOPS R), and Test of Problem Solving Adolescent (TOPS-A). While the WIAT measures academic achievement in core subject areas such as mathematics, language, reading, and writing, the TOPS-R and TOPS-A measures the ability to think critically in different situations.

The researchers analyzed the results of all three tests and found that the scores varied greatly among all the participants. The researchers looked at specific test scores on reading, mathematics, language, and writing; however, due to the mathematics focus of this paper, only the mathematics scores will be discussed. The scores for the mathematics were classified as

Amanda Schulkowsky EPSE 549 significantly below average to significantly above average (Griswold et al., 2002, p. 97) with one of the lowest scores being in mathematics with subtests consisting of mathematics reasoning and numerical operations.

The researchers concluded that the findings of low math scores were consistent with current information on AS (Griswold et al., 2002, p. 99) This suggests a need for educators of students with Asperger syndrome to provide extra support in this area.

Article 3

Chiang, H. & Lin, Y. (2007). Mathematical ability of students with Asperger syndrome and highfunctioning autism: A review of the literature. The National Autistic Society, 11, 547556.

The purpose of this article was to research the information on the link between mathematical talent and autism. The authors stated that there has been conflicting reports of mathematical talent and autism, since empirical evidence from some research studies has suggested that there are deficits among autistic individuals; however, there are anecdotal reports of mathematical talents in individuals with autism. (Chiang & Lin, 2007, p. 548) This led the authors to search through empirical evidence to find answers to the following:

1. 2. 3.

Do individuals with AS/HFA have mathematical deficits? Do individuals with AS/HFA have a relative weakness in mathematics? Do individuals with AS/HFA have mathematical giftedness?

Amanda Schulkowsky EPSE 549 The subjects included 837 individuals all diagnosed with Asperger syndrome/highfunctioning autism between the ages of 3-51. The authors noted that the average IQ of many of the subjects in the articles was below average.

The authors completed a literature review of 18 articles found from the following two journal databases: Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) and PsychINFO. Chiang and Lin put parameters on their search that included using articles between 1986 and 2006, with keywords that included IQ profiles, academic achievement, mathematics, Asperger syndrome, and high-functioning autism (Chiang & Lin, 2007, p. 548).

The authors found that the results were obtained from using standardized testing. From these standardized tests, the evidence supports that the mathematics ability was in the average range. One article even suggested that students diagnosed with autism had a learning disability in mathematics at a rate that is higher than the average of the general population. However, the literature also stated that there was evidence that the high test scores also indicated that some individuals had superior mathematical abilities.

Chiang and Lin concluded that most individuals with autism have average abilities in mathematics and only some individuals with autism have a gift for the subject. The authors also concluded that the test scores may not be accurate due to the testing procedures such as assuming an individual is able to accurately communicate their knowledge. Given that autistic individuals have deficits in this area may skew the test results of their actual knowledge base in mathematics.

Amanda Schulkowsky EPSE 549 Summary

The overall theme for all three of the research articles was to address the issue of mathematical aptitude and autism. Both the Chiang and Lin (2007) article and Griswold et al. (2002) article specifically discussed the subjects as being diagnosed with Asperger syndrome or high functioning autism, while the Baron-Cohen et al. article included participants from the entire autism spectrum.

With regards to the research approach, the Griswold et al. (2002) and Baron-Cohen et al. (2007) article both gathered their own data from a sample population. Griswold et al. (2002) focused on testing scores and analyzing all academic areas and Baron-Cohen et al. (2007) posed a survey and gathered information based on predetermined questions. Chiang and Lin (2007) also posed questions; however, they did not gather their own data but instead did a literature review of researchers who already completed first hand research.

The results of the three articles did not differ in the idea that some students who are diagnosed with autism are mathematically gifted. The highest standardized test scores were in the mathematics category for all articles. Baron-Cohen et al. (2007) showed that there was a higher percentage of students with autism in the mathematics undergraduate program than any other program. This may be because the students who have been found to be gifted in mathematics will most likely choose a career in mathematics due to the fact that mathematics entails pure systemizing, whereas other sciences (such as medicine) may entail a mix of systemizing and empathy(Baron-Cohen et al., 2007, p. 126). The Griswold et al. (2007) article and the Chiang and Lin (2007) article both agreed that most students with autism have average ability in mathematics and that some have shown to have a deficit that will require further intervention.

Amanda Schulkowsky EPSE 549 As a teacher of mathematics and a learning assistance teacher offering support to students who have been unsuccessful in mathematics due to various disabilities, I have found the information in the three articles to be useful in teaching individuals with autism spectrum disorders. While the empirical evidence suggests that some individuals with autism may have deficits in mathematics, many will have average abilities, and a few will have giftedness in mathematics. The individuals with a gift in mathematics will have a higher likelihood of choosing mathematics as part of post-secondary education. If a student shows giftedness, that talent should be encouraged with appropriate curriculum as the student can go on to become successful in a career in mathematics. If a test score shows a deficit, an educator needs to work with and observe the student over a longer period of time to determine if this is actually the case. Chiang and Lin emphasized strongly that an educator should not focus on the autistic students deficit, as test scores may not truly be accurate.

All three of the articles indicated that not only is the research in the area of mathematics and autism spectrum disorders very limited but also that larger samples sizes are needed for more accurate results. Also, all three articles suggest that alternate testing methods should be used to determine mathematical ability, as using only one way to communicate knowledge such as verbal based answers may be difficult for many students with autism. Lastly, Chiang and Lin suggest that further research be put into arithmetic savants since most are diagnosed with autism.

Amanda Schulkowsky EPSE 549

References

Baron-Cohen, S., Wheelwright, S., Burtenshaw, A., & Hobson, E. (2007). Mathematical talent is linked to autism. Human Nature, 18, 125-131.

Chiang, H., & Lin, Y. (2007). Mathematical ability of students with Asperger syndrome and highfunctioning autism: A review of the literature. The National Autistic Society. 11, 547-556.

Griswold, D., Barnhill, G., Myles, B., Hagiwara, T., & Simpson, R. (2002). Asperger syndrome and academic achievement. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 17, 94102.