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Children With Autism Show Reduced Information Seeking When Learning New Tasks
Nicole Young1, Kristelle Hudry1, David Trembath2
1Nicole Young and Kristelle Hudry, Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia;
American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
|December 25, 2015
Summary
Children with developmental delays (DD) seek information when confused, unlike children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This suggests DD children use information seeking to overcome learning challenges, while ASD children do not in this context.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Special Education
Background:
- Information-seeking is crucial for learning novel concepts.
- Children with developmental delays (DD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit diverse learning patterns.
- Understanding information-seeking in these populations is key to tailored educational strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare information-seeking behaviors in preschool-aged children with ASD and DD.
- To determine if children with DD or ASD utilize information-seeking to clarify novel instructions or actions during simulated learning.
Main Methods:
- A simulated teaching scenario was presented to 20 children with ASD and 15 children with DD.
- Participants watched videos of a teacher demonstrating novel instructions and actions.
- Information-seeking behaviors were observed and analyzed in response to varying levels of instruction complexity.
Main Results:
- Children with DD exhibited information-seeking behaviors when instructions exceeded their understanding.
- Children with ASD did not demonstrate significant information-seeking behaviors in the same situations.
- This difference suggests distinct compensatory learning strategies between the two groups.
Conclusions:
- Children with DD may employ information-seeking as a compensatory mechanism for cognitive or language difficulties.
- Children with ASD may not utilize information-seeking in the same manner when faced with novel learning tasks.
- Findings highlight the need for differentiated approaches in teaching children with DD and ASD.
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