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Abstract

Research on memory processing suggests that memory for events that an individual experiences should be superior to that for similar events that someone else experiences (e.g., Baker-Ward et al., 1990). However, such predictions may not be applicable to individuals with autism. There are already suggestions that individuals with autism have specific difficulties in remembering (Boucher & Lewis, 1989). In addition, they are known to have more general difficulties involving processes related to the "self." If children with autism have difficulties in encoding information about themselves this could result in a deficit in personal episodic memory. The studies reported here compare memory for personally experienced events with that of memory for events experienced by a peer. An adaptation of a method devised by Boucher and Lewis has been employed to assess recall. Two separate studies were conducted to investigate whether children with autism are impaired at recalling personal events. Two groups of children took part in Study 1, a group of children with autism and a control group of typical children matched for verbal mental age. A group of children with moderate learning difficulties were employed in the second study to investigate whether the findings also occur in other groups of individuals who have learning disabilities. Findings indicate that, in the group with autism, events performed by the individual were recalled significantly less well than the observed events performed by a peer. However, the results for the nonautistic children in both studies showed that the opposite was true. Theoretical claims are discussed in the light of these findings.

Brief Report: Making Experience Personal: Internal States Language in the Memory Narratives of Children with and Without Asperger’s Disorder

“…In order to qualify for a diagnosis of AD, participants had to display typical intellectual functioning and no delays in language development. Previous research that has examined memory functioning in children with autism spectrum disorders (e.g., Bruck et al 2007;Losh and Capps 2006;Millward et al 2000) did not distinguish between the performances of children with AD and other autism spectrum disorders. Both intellectual ability and language development contribute to the development of autobiographical memory (Nelson and Fivush 2004) and are thus both potential confounds in this previous research.…”

Memory in autistic spectrum disorder.

“…(Boucher & Lewis, 1989;Millward et al, 2000). Nevertheless, the M-LFA group was impaired relative to a young NT group in the Millward et al study, with a strong trend toward impairment relative to an ID group in the Boucher and Lewis study.…”

Verbal, Visual, and Intermediary Support for Child Witnesses with Autism During Investigative Interviews

“…The context for the study derives from reports of poor memory for events in children with ASD (e.g., Bruck et al 2007; Goddard et al 2014; Millward et al 2000). These findings, coupled with general impairments in social interaction and communication (American Psychiatric Association 2013), may lead to concerns about the reliability of this group as eyewitnesses (McCrory et al 2007).…”