Autism Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Autism, including details on symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, causes, effects.

Source memory in children with autism spectrum disorders.

O'Shea AG, Fein DA, Cillessen AH, Klin A, Schultz RT

Department of Neurosurgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA. angela.oshea@yale.edu

The evidence to date regarding memory processes in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) remains equivocal. Although children with these neurodevelopmental disorders have been shown to display exceptional memories for fact-based information, they seem to be less able to attach meaning or context to their memories. Thus, this study investigated the specific role of source memory in autism. Children with ASD were compared to a chronological and mental age-matched comparison group of typically developing children. Although children with autism performed similarly to controls on a fact recognition measure, their performance on a source memory task was significantly lower. The findings indicated, however, that the nature of source memory confusion in children with autism does not appear to reflect a generalized deficit in attaching context to memories but rather is dependent on the specific to-be-remembered information that, in this study, involves social aspects of context.

Published 21 April 2005 in Dev Neuropsychol, 27(3): 337-60.
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