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Updated: Jun 24, 2026
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A Familiarization Protocol Facilitates the Participation of Children with ASD in Electrophysiological Research
Published on: July 31, 2017
The potential role for emergence in autism
1Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, 230 South Frontage Rd., New Haven, Connecticut, USA. george.anderson@yale.edu
Summary
Autism research is shifting towards a dimensional approach, viewing autistic behaviors as separable and fractionable. Some key autistic traits may emerge from complex interactions, not just inherited factors.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Autism research has traditionally used a categorical approach.
- Growing evidence highlights the genetic and phenotypic complexities of autism.
- A dimensional perspective is increasingly favored for understanding autism.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review literature supporting a dimensional approach to autism.
- To explore the concept of emergent phenomena in autistic behavior.
- To discuss how emergence may explain complex autistic traits.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on autism.
- Analysis of empirical data on autism-related behaviors.
- Discussion of genetic and phenotypic complexities.
Main Results:
- Autism-related phenomena can be viewed as separable and fractionable.
- Many behaviors occur in isolation and are inherited separately.
- Some characteristic autistic phenomena appear to be emergent, arising from interacting traits or factors.
Conclusions:
- A dimensional approach complements reductionist views of autism.
- Emergence may explain novel autistic phenomena not directly inherited.
- Understanding emergence can illuminate autism's complexities.
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