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.

Episodic memory in adults with autistic spectrum disorders: recall for self- versus other-experienced events.

Hare DJ, Mellor C, Azmi S

School of Psychological Sciences, Zochonis Building, University of Manchester, Brunswick Street, Manchester M13 9PL, UK. dougal.hare@manchester.ac.uk

People with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) have difficulties in recalling recently experienced events, which is dependent upon intact functioning of several aspects of 'self awareness'. The current study examined impaired episodic recall in ASD and its relationship to specific impairments in aspects of 'self awareness'. Between-group (participants with learning disabilities with and without autistic spectrum disorder) experimental design examining free and cued recall of table-top activities that were either self-experienced by participants or observed being performed by the experimenter. Participants with ASD did not show superiority of free recall for self-experienced events over observed events, nor for recall of other-experienced events over self-experienced events, but did demonstrate a superiority for cued recall of self-experienced events. The implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Published 6 March 2007 in Res Dev Disabil, 28(3): 317-29.
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