A cluster analysis exploration of autism spectrum disorder subgroups in children without intellectual disability

Abstract

Background The heterogeneity in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains poorly understood, particularly in individuals without intellectual disability (ID), where phenotypic variability can be most pronounced. The presence of phenotypic subgroups continues to be questioned. This study investigated whether children with ASD without ID are differentiable into clinically meaningful subgroups. Method Data from the ‘gold standard’ ASD diagnostic instruments for 61 children (5–14 years) with ASD without ID were subjected to exploratory cluster analysis. Cognition, language, pragmatic communication, and behaviour were used to explore subgroups. Results Children with ASD without ID could be different..