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Related Experiment Videos

Sustained attention in children with autism.

H B Garretson1, D Fein, L Waterhouse

  • 1Hillcrest Educational Center, Pittsfield, Massachusetts 01201.

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
|March 1, 1990
PubMed
Summary

Autistic children struggle with imposed tasks but can focus on preferred activities. Their attention difficulties may stem from developmental delays and task motivation, not a primary attention deficit.

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Child Psychology

Background:

  • Children with early infantile autism often exhibit difficulties with sustained attention on externally directed tasks.
  • However, these children may demonstrate prolonged engagement in repetitive behaviors of their own choosing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the sustained attention capabilities of autistic children compared to mental age-matched normal children.
  • To explore the underlying reasons for attention deficits in early infantile autism.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a Continuous Performance Test (CPT) to assess sustained attention.
  • Compared performance between a group of autistic children and a control group of normal children matched for mental age.

Main Results:

  • Autistic children showed impairments in sustaining attention on imposed tasks.
  • Performance differences suggest that developmental delay and task-specific motivational factors contribute to these attention difficulties.
  • Results indicate that the core issue may not be a primary deficit in the ability to sustain attention itself.

Conclusions:

  • Difficulties in sustained attention for autistic children are likely multifactorial.
  • Developmental factors and the nature of task demands (motivation) play significant roles.
  • This challenges the notion of a primary, global attention impairment in early infantile autism.

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