Research on improving the social disorders in high-functioning children with autism

本研究探讨如何在高功能自闭症儿童特殊自我控制的基础上，改善其社交障碍。研究发现，在自我控制的基础上，高功能自闭症儿童的指点行为和异常动作可分为三个阶段。这些阶段如下。第一阶段(0：06~3：03)为“非控制期”。在这一阶段，没有发现异常的运动。第二个阶段被称为“受制于人阶段”。在这一阶段(3：04-3：09岁)，异常运动的特点是追踪与其他人的轮换。决赛被命名为“自我控制阶段”。在这一阶段(3：10~5：10)，他们特有地从表象世界入侵物理世界。可以指出的是，这些不寻常运动的特征可能导致自闭症高功能儿童的普遍特征。在高功能自闭症儿童身上观察到的内心世界的吸收被称为自闭症幻想。通过分析孤独症患者在与特定他人的游戏情境中的联合注意行为，考察了孤独症幻想的特点。研究发现，在高功能自闭症儿童与特定他人之间的依恋出生后，自闭症幻想的频率会更高，而不是两个人之间关系薄弱的阶段。这些结果表明，孤独症幻想的出现可能与人际关系的状态有关。目前，我们正在研究如何防止对自闭症幻想的吸收和改善社会障碍(《自闭症幻想与高功能自闭症患者的社会障碍之间的关系》；科学研究补助金(C)，2006~2009年)。

This study investigated how to improve the social disorders in high-functioning children with autism on the basis of their particular self-control. It was found that pointing behaviors and "unusual movements" of high-functioning children with autism were divided into three stages on the basis of self-control. These stages were as follows. First stage (0:06〜3:03 yrs) was named "the non-control stage". In this stage, unusual movements were not found. Second was named "the control-by-others stage". In this stage (3:04-3:09 yrs), unusual movements were characterized by tracing the turn-takings with other people. Final was named "self-control stage". In this stage (3:10〜5:10 yrs), they were peculiar to intrusion into physical world from representational world. It could be pointed out that these characteristics of unusual movements might lead to universal features among high-functioning children with autism. Absorption in the inner world observed in high-functioning children with autism is called "autistic fantasy". Characteristics of autistic fantasy were examined on the basis of analysis of joint attention behaviors in play situation with a specific other. It was found that the frequency of autistic fantasy became higher after birth of attachment between a high-functioning child with autism and a specific other, rather than stage in which the relationship between two was weak. From these results, it was suggested that the appearance of autistic fantasy might be involved with the state of human relationship. At present, we study how to prevent absorption in autistic fantasy and to improve social disorders ("the relationship between autistic fantasy and social disorders in high-functioning with autism"; Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C), 2006〜2009).