AUTISM AS A COMPLEX INFORMATION PROCESSING DISORDER

已经提出了许多神经行为模型来解释 自闭症的临床表现 我们的研究 跨领域的神经心理功能模式提供了 高阶能力同时受损的证据 跨领域，在这些相同的领域中完整的简单能力， 和基本信息获取能力的完整性。 基于简单和复杂能力的分离 和临床损伤的优势， 对复杂信息需求最高的领域 处理，我们已经提出，自闭症的后果， 复杂信息处理中的一种选择性损伤， 在相同的域中节省了更简单的信息处理， 不涉及视觉空间领域。 这个的目标 项目是：1）定义受损和完好的能力 在神经心理学的领域内和跨领域， 自闭症和OT的功能定义的定性特征， 自闭症特有的缺陷， 精神发育迟滞对这些表达的影响 （2）解决未解决的关键问题， 缺陷和完整的心理特征 自闭症的能力，并提供证据， 不支持对这种模式提出的解释; 3） 确定受试者使用的特定策略或方法 任务表现。 项目I的目标是 通过施用以下物质来实现：1）一组 神经心理学测试，评估一系列的能力， 在听觉和视觉两个方面 （组件1）; 2）选定的神经心理学程序， 进一步描述缺陷和完整的能力，解决关键 关于其性质的未解决的问题，并调查 替代赤字建议解释赤字模式， 自闭症（组件2）;和3）实验认知程序 这一研究提供了一个详细的认知分析， 分析和模式分析能力，用于执行任务 （构成部分3）。 从组件的神经心理学程序 1将服务于更广泛的目的，即为 研究项目II和III的临床表达， 缺陷和更广泛的自闭症缺陷模式。

Numerous neurobehavioral models have been proposed to account for the clinical manifestations of autism. Our research examining neuropsychologic function across domains modalities has provided evidence of concurrent impairments in higher order abilities across domains, intact simpler abilities in these same domains, and the integrity of basic information acquisition abilities. Based on the dissociation between simple and complex abilities within domains and the predominance of clinical impairments in domains with the highest demands for complex information processing, we have proposed that autism is the consequence of a selective impairment in complex information processing that spares simpler information processing in the same domains, and does not involve the visual-spatial domain. The goals of this project are: 1) to define the impaired and intact abilities within and across domains that characterize neuropsychologic functioning in autism and ot define the qualitative features of the deficits that are specific to autism and independent of the influence of mental retardation on the expression of these deficits; 2) to address key unanswered questions about the neutropsychologic characteristics of the deficits and intact abilities in autism and provide evidence that several alternative explanations proposed for this pattern are not supported; and 3) to determine the specific strategies or methods used by subjects for task performance. Thje goals of Project I will be accomplished through the administration of: 1) a battery of neuropsychologic tests that assess a range of abilities within and across domains and in both the autitory and visual modalities (Component 1); 2) selected neuropsychologic procedures that further characterize deficits and intact abilities, address key unresolved questions about their nature, and investigate alternative deficits proposed to explain the deficit pattern in autism (Component 2); and 3) experimental cognitive procedures that provide a detailed cognitive analysis of executive, analytic, and pattern analysis abilities used in task performance (Component 3). The neuropyschologic procedures from Component 1 will serve a broader purpose of providing a common linkfor studies in Projects II and III to the clinical expression of the deficits and to the broader pattern of deficits in autism.