Extending decision making competence to special populations: a pilot study of persons on the XXXX spectrum.

@entity72 @entity2438 @entity146
The area of decision making has much to offer in our effort to understand special populations. This pilot study is an example of just such a project, where we illustrate how traditional decision making tools and tasks can be used to uncover strengths and weaknesses within a growing population of young adults with @entity2438 . In this pilot project we extended accounts of @entity146 such as those derived from "theory of mind" to predict key components of decision making in high-functioning young adults on the @entity2438 spectrum. A battery of tests was administered to 15 high-functioning college students with @entity72 ( @entity72 ), focusing on decision making competence (DMC) and other aspects of decision making related to known deficits associated with @entity2438 . Data from this group were compared to data from unselected college students receiving the same measures. First, as a test of a key social deficit associated with @entity2438 , the target group scored much lower on the Empathy Quotient scale. Traditional elements of decision making competency such as Numeracy and application of decision rules were comparable across groups. However, there were differences in thinking style, with the @entity72 group showing lesser ability and engagement in intuitive thinking, and they showed lower levels of risk taking. For comparisons within the @entity72 group, autobiographical reports concerning individual lifestyles and outcomes were used to derive a scale of Social Functioning. The lowest scoring individuals showed the lowest levels of intuitive thinking, the lowest perceived levels of others' endorsement of socially undesirable behaviors, and the lowest ability to discriminate between "good" and "bad" risks. Results are discussed in terms of interventions that might aid high-functioning young adults with @entity72 in their everyday decision making.
