Compulsion Profile Differences Indicate Distinct Functional Mechanisms in Autistic and Non-Autistic University Students / Gil ZUKERMAN in Autism Research, 19-5 (May 2026)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism Research > 19-5 (May 2026) . - p.e70215 Titre : Compulsion Profile Differences Indicate Distinct Functional Mechanisms in Autistic and Non-Autistic University Students Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Gil ZUKERMAN, Auteur ; Ester BEN–ITZCHAK, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.e70215 Langues : Anglais (eng) Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : ABSTRACT Autistic individuals often exhibit high rates of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS), yet traditional cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), especially exposure and response prevention (ERP), tends to be less effective for them. This may be due to differences in the function of compulsive behaviors: while OCD-related compulsions are typically ego-dystonic and aimed at reducing anxiety, autistic compulsions may be ego-syntonic, serving regulatory or sensory modulation purposes. This study investigated whether compulsions in autism are more aligned with regulation and sensory modulation than with anxiety reduction. Participants included 39 autistic university students, 25 non-autistic students with high OCS, and 25 non-autistic students with low OCS. A factor analysis of seven binary items from the Yale?Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS-I) revealed two factors explaining 58% of the variance. The first factor showed high loadings for Repetition, Counting, and Hoarding compulsions, reflecting regulatory and sensory modulation processes. The second factor showed high loadings for checking and organizing compulsions that were previously associated with anxiety reduction. Chi-square analyses showed autistic students reported significantly more regulatory/sensory compulsions than low-OCS individuals. For anxiety-reduction compulsions, autistic students reported significantly fewer positive responses than both non-autistic groups. Trait and state anxiety correlated with OCS levels in non-autistic participants, but not in autistic individuals. These findings indicate that compulsions in autism may reflect distinct functional mechanisms compared to those in classical OCD. Specifically, the weaker association with anxiety or threat reduction suggests that ERP-based CBT, which targets anxiety-driven compulsions, may be less effective for autistic individuals. Broader implications for both diagnosis and therapeutic approaches are discussed. En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.70215 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=587 [article] Compulsion Profile Differences Indicate Distinct Functional Mechanisms in Autistic and Non-Autistic University Students [texte imprimé] / Gil ZUKERMAN, Auteur ; Ester BEN–ITZCHAK, Auteur . - p.e70215. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism Research > 19-5 (May 2026) . - p.e70215 Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : ABSTRACT Autistic individuals often exhibit high rates of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS), yet traditional cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), especially exposure and response prevention (ERP), tends to be less effective for them. This may be due to differences in the function of compulsive behaviors: while OCD-related compulsions are typically ego-dystonic and aimed at reducing anxiety, autistic compulsions may be ego-syntonic, serving regulatory or sensory modulation purposes. This study investigated whether compulsions in autism are more aligned with regulation and sensory modulation than with anxiety reduction. Participants included 39 autistic university students, 25 non-autistic students with high OCS, and 25 non-autistic students with low OCS. A factor analysis of seven binary items from the Yale?Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS-I) revealed two factors explaining 58% of the variance. The first factor showed high loadings for Repetition, Counting, and Hoarding compulsions, reflecting regulatory and sensory modulation processes. The second factor showed high loadings for checking and organizing compulsions that were previously associated with anxiety reduction. Chi-square analyses showed autistic students reported significantly more regulatory/sensory compulsions than low-OCS individuals. For anxiety-reduction compulsions, autistic students reported significantly fewer positive responses than both non-autistic groups. Trait and state anxiety correlated with OCS levels in non-autistic participants, but not in autistic individuals. These findings indicate that compulsions in autism may reflect distinct functional mechanisms compared to those in classical OCD. Specifically, the weaker association with anxiety or threat reduction suggests that ERP-based CBT, which targets anxiety-driven compulsions, may be less effective for autistic individuals. Broader implications for both diagnosis and therapeutic approaches are discussed. En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.70215 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=587

Diametrically opposed associations between academic achievement and social anxiety among university students with and without autism spectrum disorder / Gil ZUKERMAN in Autism Research, 12-9 (September 2019)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism Research > 12-9 (September 2019) . - p.1376-1385 Titre : Diametrically opposed associations between academic achievement and social anxiety among university students with and without autism spectrum disorder Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Gil ZUKERMAN, Auteur ; Gili YAHAV, Auteur ; Esther BEN-ITZCHAK, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.1376-1385 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Asd  academic  grade point average  social anxiety Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Research findings indicate that anxiety, social anxiety in particular, is the most common experience reported by individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) attending postsecondary education. Among students without ASD, higher levels of social anxiety have been postulated to correlate with impaired academic achievement; restriction of one's social network because of anxiety is thought to lead to reduction of access to resources important for learning such as social/emotional support and collaborative learning. However, despite growing interest in the outcomes of young students with ASD, no research has studied the associations between academic achievement and anxiety among students with ASD. This study examined the association between social anxiety and grade point average (GPA) among university students: 55 diagnosed with ASD, 31 without ASD but high levels of social anxiety, and 25 without ASD and with low levels of social anxiety (controls). GPAs were significantly lower for the ASD group than for the two non-ASD groups. Among students without ASD, a negative correlation between social anxiety and grades was observed whereas the reverse pattern was found for the ASD group, meaning that for students with ASD, higher levels of social anxiety were associated with higher grades. Additionally, in a regression analysis, ASD diagnosis, social anxiety, and the interaction of group x social anxiety significantly predicted GPA. Possible explanations for this finding, as well as implications for interventions among this population of high-functioning students with ASD, are discussed. Autism Res 2019, 12: 1376-1385. (c) 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: This study compared the relationship between levels of social anxiety and grades in students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and in students without ASD who had either high social anxiety or low social anxiety (controls). Among the group with ASD, higher levels of social anxiety were associated with higher grades, whereas the reverse pattern was found among the other groups. This finding's implications for interventions among students with ASD are discussed. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2129 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=406 [article] Diametrically opposed associations between academic achievement and social anxiety among university students with and without autism spectrum disorder [texte imprimé] / Gil ZUKERMAN, Auteur ; Gili YAHAV, Auteur ; Esther BEN-ITZCHAK, Auteur . - p.1376-1385. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism Research > 12-9 (September 2019) . - p.1376-1385 Mots-clés : Asd  academic  grade point average  social anxiety Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Research findings indicate that anxiety, social anxiety in particular, is the most common experience reported by individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) attending postsecondary education. Among students without ASD, higher levels of social anxiety have been postulated to correlate with impaired academic achievement; restriction of one's social network because of anxiety is thought to lead to reduction of access to resources important for learning such as social/emotional support and collaborative learning. However, despite growing interest in the outcomes of young students with ASD, no research has studied the associations between academic achievement and anxiety among students with ASD. This study examined the association between social anxiety and grade point average (GPA) among university students: 55 diagnosed with ASD, 31 without ASD but high levels of social anxiety, and 25 without ASD and with low levels of social anxiety (controls). GPAs were significantly lower for the ASD group than for the two non-ASD groups. Among students without ASD, a negative correlation between social anxiety and grades was observed whereas the reverse pattern was found for the ASD group, meaning that for students with ASD, higher levels of social anxiety were associated with higher grades. Additionally, in a regression analysis, ASD diagnosis, social anxiety, and the interaction of group x social anxiety significantly predicted GPA. Possible explanations for this finding, as well as implications for interventions among this population of high-functioning students with ASD, are discussed. Autism Res 2019, 12: 1376-1385. (c) 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: This study compared the relationship between levels of social anxiety and grades in students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and in students without ASD who had either high social anxiety or low social anxiety (controls). Among the group with ASD, higher levels of social anxiety were associated with higher grades, whereas the reverse pattern was found among the other groups. This finding's implications for interventions among students with ASD are discussed. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2129 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=406

Distinct Empathy Profiles in Autism and Social Anxiety: A Comparative Study / Sigal TIKOCHINSKY in Autism Research, 18-8 (August 2025)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism Research > 18-8 (August 2025) . - p.1620-1629 Titre : Distinct Empathy Profiles in Autism and Social Anxiety: A Comparative Study Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Sigal TIKOCHINSKY, Auteur ; Esther BEN-ITZCHAK, Auteur ; Gil ZUKERMAN, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.1620-1629 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : affective empathy  autism spectrum  cognitive empathy  empathic concern  personal distress  social anxiety Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : ABSTRACT This study examined cognitive and affective empathy in individuals with autism spectrum condition (ASC), social anxiety (SA), and those without these conditions. A total of 105 university students (mean age 24.2 years) were divided into three groups: ASC (n 34), SA (n 38), and controls (n 33). Participants completed the Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (SRS-2), Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), and Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) to assess cognitive (fantasy, perspective taking) and affective (personal distress, empathic concern) empathy. State cognitive empathy was measured using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task (RMET). Results showed that the ASC group had lower empathic concern than the SA and control groups and lower perspective taking than controls. Both ASC and SA groups reported higher personal distress than controls. A novel personal distress-to-empathic concern ratio (PD/EC) effectively differentiated ASC from SA, with a proposed cutoff of 0.83, demonstrating good sensitivity and moderate specificity. RMET scores were within the norm for all groups, with no significant differences. These findings highlight distinct empathy profiles in autism and social anxiety and introduce a new metric for differentiation, with potential clinical and research applications in empathy assessment. En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.70075 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=566 [article] Distinct Empathy Profiles in Autism and Social Anxiety: A Comparative Study [texte imprimé] / Sigal TIKOCHINSKY, Auteur ; Esther BEN-ITZCHAK, Auteur ; Gil ZUKERMAN, Auteur . - p.1620-1629. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism Research > 18-8 (August 2025) . - p.1620-1629 Mots-clés : affective empathy  autism spectrum  cognitive empathy  empathic concern  personal distress  social anxiety Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : ABSTRACT This study examined cognitive and affective empathy in individuals with autism spectrum condition (ASC), social anxiety (SA), and those without these conditions. A total of 105 university students (mean age 24.2 years) were divided into three groups: ASC (n 34), SA (n 38), and controls (n 33). Participants completed the Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (SRS-2), Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), and Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) to assess cognitive (fantasy, perspective taking) and affective (personal distress, empathic concern) empathy. State cognitive empathy was measured using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task (RMET). Results showed that the ASC group had lower empathic concern than the SA and control groups and lower perspective taking than controls. Both ASC and SA groups reported higher personal distress than controls. A novel personal distress-to-empathic concern ratio (PD/EC) effectively differentiated ASC from SA, with a proposed cutoff of 0.83, demonstrating good sensitivity and moderate specificity. RMET scores were within the norm for all groups, with no significant differences. These findings highlight distinct empathy profiles in autism and social anxiety and introduce a new metric for differentiation, with potential clinical and research applications in empathy assessment. En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.70075 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=566

Keep it simple: Identification of basic versus complex emotions in spoken language in individuals with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability: A meta-analysis study / Michal ICHT in Autism Research, 14-9 (September 2021)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism Research > 14-9 (September 2021) . - p.1948-1964 Titre : Keep it simple: Identification of basic versus complex emotions in spoken language in individuals with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability: A meta-analysis study Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Michal ICHT, Auteur ; Gil ZUKERMAN, Auteur ; Esther BEN-ITZCHAK, Auteur ; Boaz M. BEN-DAVID, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.1948-1964 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Autism Spectrum Disorder/complications  Emotions  Humans  Intellectual Disability/complications  Language  ASD-without-ID  emotions  prosody  social cognition  speech perception Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Daily functioning involves identifying emotions in spoken language, a fundamental aspect of social interactions. To date, there is inconsistent evidence in the literature on whether individuals with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability (ASD-without-ID) experience difficulties in identification of spoken emotions. We conducted a meta-analysis (literature search following the PRISMA guidelines), with 26 data sets (taken from 23 peer-reviewed journal articles) comparing individuals with ASD-without-ID (N = 614) and typically-developed (TD) controls (N = 640), from nine countries and in seven languages (published until February 2020). In our analyses there was no sufficient evidence to suggest that individuals with HF-ASD differ from matched controls in the identification of simple prosodic emotions (e.g., sadness, happiness). However, individuals with ASD-without-ID were found to perform significantly worse than controls in identification of complex prosodic emotions (e.g., envy and boredom). The level of the semantic content of the stimuli presented (e.g., sentences vs. strings of digits) was not found to have an impact on the results. In conclusion, the difference in findings between simple and complex emotions calls for a new-look on emotion processing in ASD-without-ID. Intervention programs may rely on the intact abilities of individuals with ASD-without-ID to process simple emotions and target improved performance with complex emotions. LAY SUMMARY: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability (ASD-without-ID) do not differ from matched controls in the identification of simple prosodic emotions (e.g., sadness, happiness). However, they were found to perform significantly worse than controls in the identification of complex prosodic emotions (e.g., envy, boredom). This was found in a meta-analysis of 26 data sets with 1254 participants from nine countries and in seven languages. Intervention programs may rely on the intact abilities of individuals with ASD-without-ID to process simple emotions. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2551 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=449 [article] Keep it simple: Identification of basic versus complex emotions in spoken language in individuals with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability: A meta-analysis study [texte imprimé] / Michal ICHT, Auteur ; Gil ZUKERMAN, Auteur ; Esther BEN-ITZCHAK, Auteur ; Boaz M. BEN-DAVID, Auteur . - p.1948-1964. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism Research > 14-9 (September 2021) . - p.1948-1964 Mots-clés : Autism Spectrum Disorder/complications  Emotions  Humans  Intellectual Disability/complications  Language  ASD-without-ID  emotions  prosody  social cognition  speech perception Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Daily functioning involves identifying emotions in spoken language, a fundamental aspect of social interactions. To date, there is inconsistent evidence in the literature on whether individuals with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability (ASD-without-ID) experience difficulties in identification of spoken emotions. We conducted a meta-analysis (literature search following the PRISMA guidelines), with 26 data sets (taken from 23 peer-reviewed journal articles) comparing individuals with ASD-without-ID (N = 614) and typically-developed (TD) controls (N = 640), from nine countries and in seven languages (published until February 2020). In our analyses there was no sufficient evidence to suggest that individuals with HF-ASD differ from matched controls in the identification of simple prosodic emotions (e.g., sadness, happiness). However, individuals with ASD-without-ID were found to perform significantly worse than controls in identification of complex prosodic emotions (e.g., envy and boredom). The level of the semantic content of the stimuli presented (e.g., sentences vs. strings of digits) was not found to have an impact on the results. In conclusion, the difference in findings between simple and complex emotions calls for a new-look on emotion processing in ASD-without-ID. Intervention programs may rely on the intact abilities of individuals with ASD-without-ID to process simple emotions and target improved performance with complex emotions. LAY SUMMARY: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability (ASD-without-ID) do not differ from matched controls in the identification of simple prosodic emotions (e.g., sadness, happiness). However, they were found to perform significantly worse than controls in the identification of complex prosodic emotions (e.g., envy, boredom). This was found in a meta-analysis of 26 data sets with 1254 participants from nine countries and in seven languages. Intervention programs may rely on the intact abilities of individuals with ASD-without-ID to process simple emotions. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2551 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=449

Response to McKenzie et al. 2021: Keep It Simple; Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder Without Intellectual Disability Can Process Basic Emotions / Michal ICHT in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 53-3 (March 2023)  

Public ISBD [article]  inJournal of Autism and Developmental Disorders > 53-3 (March 2023) . - p.1269-1272 Titre : Response to McKenzie et al. 2021: Keep It Simple; Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder Without Intellectual Disability Can Process Basic Emotions Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Michal ICHT, Auteur ; Gil ZUKERMAN, Auteur ; Esther BEN-ITZCHAK, Auteur ; Boaz M. BEN-DAVID, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.1269-1272 Langues : Anglais (eng) Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : We recently read the interesting and informative paper entitled ''Empathic accuracy and cognitive and affective empathy in young adults with and without autism spectrum disorder'' (McKenzie et al. in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 52: 1-15, 2021). This paper expands recent findings from our lab (Ben-David in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 50: 741-756, 2020a; International Journal of Audiology 60: 319-321, 2020b) and a recent theoretical framework (Icht et al. in Autism Research 14: 1948-1964, 2021) that may suggest a new purview for McKenzie et al.'s results. Namely, these papers suggest that young adults with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability can successfully recruit their cognitive abilities to distinguish between different simple spoken emotions, but may still face difficulties processing complex, subtle emotions. McKenzie et al. (Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 52: 1-15, 2021) extended these findings to the processing of emotions in video clips, with both visual and auditory information. En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05574-3 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=500 [article] Response to McKenzie et al. 2021: Keep It Simple; Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder Without Intellectual Disability Can Process Basic Emotions [texte imprimé] / Michal ICHT, Auteur ; Gil ZUKERMAN, Auteur ; Esther BEN-ITZCHAK, Auteur ; Boaz M. BEN-DAVID, Auteur . - p.1269-1272. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders > 53-3 (March 2023) . - p.1269-1272 Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : We recently read the interesting and informative paper entitled ''Empathic accuracy and cognitive and affective empathy in young adults with and without autism spectrum disorder'' (McKenzie et al. in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 52: 1-15, 2021). This paper expands recent findings from our lab (Ben-David in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 50: 741-756, 2020a; International Journal of Audiology 60: 319-321, 2020b) and a recent theoretical framework (Icht et al. in Autism Research 14: 1948-1964, 2021) that may suggest a new purview for McKenzie et al.'s results. Namely, these papers suggest that young adults with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability can successfully recruit their cognitive abilities to distinguish between different simple spoken emotions, but may still face difficulties processing complex, subtle emotions. McKenzie et al. (Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 52: 1-15, 2021) extended these findings to the processing of emotions in video clips, with both visual and auditory information. En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05574-3 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=500

The Gap Between Cognition and Adaptive Behavior in Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Implications for Social Anxiety and the Moderating Effect of Autism Traits / Gil ZUKERMAN in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 51-5 (May 2021)  

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The Perception of Emotions in Spoken Language in Undergraduates with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Preserved Social Skill / Boaz M. BEN-DAVID in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50-3 (March 2020)  

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