| Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological disorder that affects one in 68 children; more than three million people in the United States and tens of millions around the world have ASD. This disorder affects cognitive, behavioral, social, and academic functioning, and is marked by deficits in the areas of social interaction, communicative language, and other emotional and social skills, all of which have an impact on a student's academic success. Intelligence quotient (IQ) is not the only determinant in academic success, as emotional and social intelligence also play key roles. Emotional intelligence refers to a person's ability to understand his or her own and other's emotions to determine his or her own thinking, reactions, and behaviors. The influence of emotional intelligence on the mental health of students is important for classroom involvement and inclusion. ASD can create behavioral and social issues in the classroom as a student can disengage in the learning process, causing academic performance to suffer. In this study, a sample of 93 participants was designated into two groups and compared: parents of middle school students with ASD and parents of middle school students without ASD. The parents completed the Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth Version (EQ-i:YV) on behalf of their children to gain their perceptions of their children's emotional intelligence. A significant association was determined between emotional intelligence and academic performance in both groups. There was also a significant difference between the two groups of parents themselves. The results indicate the relationship between emotional intelligence and academic success needs to be further investigated, specifically the understanding of specific emotional intelligence factors and how they contribute to academic performance. |
