Edición N°20 – Artículo 06
Desarrollo cognitivo en infantes con bajo coeficiente intelectual y trastorno del espectro autista
Cognitive Development in Children with Low IQ and Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autores: Nathaly Romina Padilla Muyulema, Fiorella Sofia Morales Mora Erika Mishel Chauca Tenezaca, Daniela Valentina Sanango Sevilla (Unidad Educativa Fiscomisional La Salle)
Resumen
El desarrollo cognitivo es un proceso de gran importancia en la vida de los infantes; sin embargo, este puede verse afectado en niños con bajo coeficiente intelectual y en aquellos que presentan trastorno del espectro autista, lo cual incide en diversos ámbitos de su vida. Este tema es motivo de gran preocupación, ya que, a pesar de que existen diferentes instituciones educativas que brindan apoyo a estos niños e intentan mejorar sus capacidades y rendimiento, en muchos casos los resultados son limitados. La falta de avances puede afectar gravemente tanto la vida social del niño como su autonomía, impidiendo que alcancen resultados satisfactorios y que algunas de sus habilidades se desarrollen de manera adecuada.
El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar de forma profunda las características, dificultades y procesos que estos niños enfrentan en su vida diaria, así como establecer destrezas claras que estimulen el desarrollo de su capacidad intelectual y su autonomía, con el fin de promover su independencia. Para ello, es fundamental que los infantes reciban apoyo terapéutico acorde con sus necesidades y limitaciones, las cuales suelen manifestarse en dificultades del habla, la memoria y la capacidad de razonamiento. Se recomienda que estas terapias se inicien con la orientación de profesionales capacitados y con la participación activa de los padres.
Es importante considerar que el rechazo o la falta de apoyo por parte de los padres puede generar afectaciones psicológicas que dificultan aún más el progreso del niño y su adecuada interacción social. Finalmente, es necesario reconocer que estas dificultades no constituyen un impedimento definitivo para su futuro, ya que, con el acompañamiento y apoyo adecuados, es posible lograr avances y mejoras significativas en su desarrollo.
Palabras clave: desarrollo, capacidades, entorno, estrategias, obstáculos, rechazo, psicológico, autonomía.
Abstract
Cognitive development is a process of great importance in a child’s life; however, it can be affected in children with a low intelligence quotient (IQ) and those presenting with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), impacting various areas of their lives. This subject is a cause for significant concern because, although various educational institutions provide support to these children and attempt to improve their capabilities and performance, results are often limited in many cases. A lack of progress can severely affect both the child’s social life and their autonomy, preventing them from achieving satisfactory outcomes and hindering the proper development of certain skills.
The objective of this research is to conduct an in-depth analysis of the characteristics, difficulties, and processes that these children face in their daily lives, as well as to establish clear skills that stimulate the development of their intellectual capacity and autonomy to promote their independence. To achieve this, it is fundamental for children to receive therapeutic support tailored to their specific needs and limitations, which typically manifest as difficulties in speech, memory, and reasoning capacity. It is recommended that these therapies begin under the guidance of trained professionals and with the active participation of parents.
It is important to consider that rejection or a lack of support from parents can lead to psychological impacts that further hinder the child’s progress and social interaction. Finally, it is necessary to recognize that these difficulties do not constitute a definitive impediment to their future; with appropriate guidance and support, it is possible to achieve significant progress and improvements in their development.
Keywords: development, abilities, environment, strategies, obstacles, rejection, psychological, autonomy.
Edición N°20
Fecha de publicación: 13 marzo del 2026.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The Universidad Politécnica Salesiana of Ecuador preserves the copyrights of the published works and will favor the reuse of the works. The works are published in the electronic edition of the journal under a Creative Commons Attribution/Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 Ecuador license: they can be copied, used, disseminated, transmitted and publicly displayed.
The undersigned author partially transfers the copyrights of this work to the Universidad Politécnica Salesiana of Ecuador for printed editions.
It is also stated that they have respected the ethical principles of research and are free from any conflict of interest. The author(s) certify that this work has not been published, nor is it under consideration for publication in any other journal or editorial work.
The author (s) are responsible for their content and have contributed to the conception, design and completion of the work, analysis and interpretation of data, and to have participated in the writing of the text and its revisions, as well as in the approval of the version which is finally referred to as an attachment.
- [1] A. Shah, N. Banner, C. Heginbotham, and B. Fulford, “7. American Psychiatric Association (2013) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edn. American Psychiatric Publishing, Arlington, VA. 8. Bechara, A., Dolan, S. and Hindes, A.(2002) Decision making and addiction (Part II): myopia for the future or hypersensitivity to reward? Neuropsychologia, 40, 1690–1705. 9. Office of Public Sector Information (2005) The Mental Capacity Act 2005. http://www.” Substance Use and Older People, vol. 21, no. 5, p. 9, 2014, iSBN:1118430972.
- [2] C. Lord, M. Elsabbagh, G. Baird, and J. Veenstra- Vanderweele, “Autism spectrum disorder,” The Lancet, vol. 392, no. 10146, pp. 508-520, Aug. 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)31129-2/abstract?from=groupmessage&isappinstalled=0
- [3] M. Elsabbagh, G. Divan, Y. Koh, Y. S. Kim, S. Kauchali, C. Marcín, C. Montiel-Nava, V. Patel, C. S. Paula, C. Wang, M. T. Yasamy, and E. Fombonne, “Global Prevalence of Autism and Other Pervasive Developmental Disorders,” Autism Research, vol. 5, no. 3, pp.160–179, Jun. 2012. [Online]. Available: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aur.239
- [4] R. L. Schalock, S. A. Borthwick-Duffy, V. J. Bradley, W. H. E. Buntinx, D. L. Coulter, E. M. Craig, S. C. Gomez, Y. Lachapelle, R. Luckasson, A. Reeve, K. A. Shogren, M. E. Snell, S. Spreat, M. J. Tasse, J. R. Thompson, M. A. Verdugo-Alonso, M. L. Wehmeyer, and M. H. Yeager, “Intellectual Disability: Definition, Classification, and Systems of Supports. Eleventh Edition.” American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 2010, iSBN: 9781935304043 Publisher: American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. 444 North Capitol Street NW Suite 846, Washington, DC 20001. Tel: 800-424-3688; Fax: 202-387-2193; e-mail: books@aaidd.org; Website: http://www.aaidd.org/. [Online]. Available: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=eD509596
- [5] J. L. Matson and T. T. Rivet, “Characteristics of challenging behaviours in adults with autistic disorder, PDD-NOS, and intellectual disability,” Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, vol. 33, no.4, pp. 323–329, Dec. 2008.
- [6] C. Lord, M. Rutter, P. DiLavore, S. Risi, K. Gotham, and S. Bishop, “Autism diagnostic observation schedule–2nd edition (ADOS-2),” Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Corporation, vol. 284, pp. 474–478, 2012.
- [7] M. Rutter, A. Le Couteur, and C. Lord, “Autism diagnostic interview-revised,” Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services, vol. 29, no. 2003, p. 30, 2003.
- [8] D. Wechsler, “WAIS-IV: Escala Wechsler de inteligencia para adultos-IV,” 2008.
- [9] G. Dawson, S. Rogers, J. Munson, M. Smith, J. Winter, J. Greenson, A. Donaldson, and J. Varley, “Randomized, Controlled Trial of an Intervention for Toddlers With Autism: The Early Start Denver Model,” Pediatrics, vol. 125, no. 1, pp.e17–e23, Jan. 2010. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2009-0958