An experimental investigation of social-cognitive abilities in infants with autism: Clinical implications

Author(s): Swettenham, J., BaronCohen, S., Cox, A., Baird, G., Drew, A.

Journal/Book: Infant Mental Hlth J. 1998; 19: Michigan State Univ, Dept Psychology, E Lansing, MI 48824-1117. Michigan Assn Infant Mental Health. 260-275.

Abstract: Competing theoretical accounts of psychopathological development in individuals with autism emphasize the role of different infant social, cognitive and affective factors, including affective responsivity, pretend play, joint attention, and imitation. However, due to the fact that autism is rarely diagnosed before the age of 3, until now these abilities have only been studied with school-age children, adolescents, or young adults with autism. Taking advantage of a new prospective screening instrument for autism in infancy (Baron-Cohen et al., 1996), the present study compared the performance of 20-month-old infants with autism and pervasive developmental disorder to that of children with developmental delay without autism on experimental tasks of empathic response, pretend and functional play, joint attention and requesting behaviors, and imitation. The 20-month-old infants with autism failed to use social gaze declaratively in the joint attention task, they showed poor emphatic response, fewer imitated modelled actions on objects, and none produced spontaneous pretend play. Surprisingly, the infants with pervasive developmental disorder did not perform significantly differently from the infants with developmental delay without autism on any of the measures. The identification of autism-specific impairments in early social cognitive abilities may have important clinical implications, for the early diagnosis of the disorder and for the setting of goals and monitoring of progress in early intervention programs.

Note: Article Charman T, Inst Child Hlth, Behav Sci Unit, 30 Guilford St, London WC1N 1EH, ENGLAND

Keyword(s): JOINT ATTENTION; NORMAL-CHILDREN; SYMBOLIC PLAY; IMITATION; BEHAVIOR; DEFICITS

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