Study on the mode of perception and symptom formation in autism

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1. We proposed the concept of "perception metamorphosis phenomenon (PMP)" as the mode of perception peculiar to autistics. This mode of perception is notable to some degree in infancy and adolescence, and points to the appearance of behavior indicative of the environmental world being perceived in a manner different from before by the autistic child. The phenomenon has been defined into 3 basic categories according to the aspect of perception : 1) Visual PMP, 2) Auditory PMP, 3) Situational PMR Proposal of this concept was made with the objective of capturing the onset of autism or the mechanism of appearance of the various symptoms from a more phenomenological viewpoint, to serve as a possible starting point for understanding the inner world of autistics. The proposal was made emphasizing the validity of this approach in mapping out new therapeutic approaches and for re-investigating the relationship between autism and schizophrenia.2. A survey was conducted on the present behavioral characteristics of 187 cases of adult autism over 18 years of age employing Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). When their behavioral characteristics were evaluated in relation to Present Language Developmental Level (PLDL) and Present Adaptive Level (PAL), it was seen that greater variation in behavior characteristics was seen among those exhibiting increasingly lower PLDL and PAL scores. Behavior characteristics reminiscent of depression were noted even among those exhibiting high PLDL.Behavior pointing to obsession was found in common among most all cases of autism irrespective to either PLDL or PAL.Psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions were absent in most cases. The results of this study were indicative not only of the significance of obsessive behavior in autism, but also its significance in terms of delving further into the psychopathology of the disorder.