Divergent Neurodevelopmental Trajectories in Autism Across IQ Levels and Rehabilitation Implications

Thursday, October 30, 2025

11:00 AM - 11:15 AM

Location: ROOM: Conference Room 4E >>> DIRECTIONS Fourth Floor >>> From the Main Elevator Bank, proceed left. Room 4E is to the left just past the Pullman Boardroom.

Presenting Author(s)

I-Jou Chi, OTR, PhD (she/her/hers)

Postdoctoral researcher
Digital Medicine and Smart Healthcare Research Center, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan (Republic of China)

Non-presenting Author(s)

AY

Albert C. Yang

Chairman
School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
Taipei, Taiwan (Republic of China)

This session, “Divergent Neurodevelopmental Trajectories in Autism Across IQ Levels and Rehabilitation Implications,” presents cutting-edge neuroimaging evidence showing how intellectual functioning shapes brain development and functional outcomes in autism. Using a large, multicenter MRI dataset (ABIDE I) and advanced analytical methods, Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD) and Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) were employed to identify distinct cortical maturation patterns among autistic individuals with low, average, and high IQ compared to neurotypical controls.
Findings reveal that individuals with low IQ exhibit accelerated gray matter loss and cortical thinning in salience and sensorimotor networks, corresponding to severe social and adaptive challenges. Individuals with average IQs exhibit divergent development in executive and default mode networks, which is linked to difficulties in executive and social cognition, whereas high-IQ individuals demonstrate compensatory enhancement in visual and posterior default mode regions. These results underscore the role of IQ in modulating neurodevelopment and highlight the need for personalized, brain-based rehabilitation strategies.
Attendees will learn how mapping individualized brain trajectories can inform tailored interventions, for example, sensory integration therapy for low-IQ autism or executive function training for average-IQ autism—ultimately advancing precision rehabilitation. This presentation bridges neuroscience and clinical application, offering a novel framework for designing interventions aligned with each cognitive profile.

Learning Objectives:

Understand how IQ correlated with cortical structural development in autism and its implications for rehabilitation planning.
Identify key brain networks (salience, executive control, default mode) affected in autism subgroups and their relation to functional deficits.
Apply knowledge of divergent neurodevelopmental trajectories to design targeted interventions for sensory, cognitive, and social challenges in autism.
Evaluate the utility of Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD) and Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) in mapping individualized brain maturation for rehabilitation research.