NATURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF SPATIAL COGNITION IN AUTISM

这项拟议研究的总体目标是研究自闭症患者空间认知的性质和发展。尽管之前的研究表明，空间认知可能是自闭症患者的一种优势，但这一领域的研究结果并不一致，需要进一步研究。例如，中心连贯性理论声称，自闭症患者很难注意到格式塔，他们会更多地关注空间构型的局部部分。这一理论与自闭症患者可能在空间领域具有优势的可能性不一致，因为许多空间任务需要同时关注配置的全局和局部部分。之前自闭症执行缺陷的发现与自闭症患者在可能需要执行处理的空间任务上没有受到损害的发现之间还有另一个明显的不一致之处，比如WISC区块设计。这项拟议的研究将试图解决这些不一致的问题，并通过测试患有自闭症的低功能儿童与唐氏综合症的对比，并使用空间工作记忆、全局/局部加工和以前没有在这一人群中研究过的空间任务来测试正常发育的智力年龄匹配的对照组，来解决这些不一致的问题，并增加关于自闭症空间认知的知识。拓宽对这种障碍的空间认知的知识将允许更好地理解这种障碍的发展和可能存在的任何潜在优势。

The overall goal of the proposed research is to examine the nature and development of spatial cognition in individuals with autism. Although previous research suggests that spatial cognition may be a strength in those with autism, research findings in this area are inconsistent and need further examination. For instance, central coherence theory claims that those with autism have difficulty attending to the gestalt and will focus more on the local parts of a spatial configuration. This theory is inconsistent with the possibility that individuals with autism may have a strength in the spatial domain because many spatial tasks require attention to both the global and local parts of configurations. Another inconsistency is evident between previous findings of executive deficits in autism and the findings that individuals with autism are not impaired on spatial tasks that may require executive processing, such as the WISC block design. The proposed study will attempt to resolve these inconsistencies and add to knowledge about spatial cognition in autism by testing low-functioning children with autism as compared to Down syndrome and normally developing mental age matched control groups using measures of spatial working memory, global/local processing, and a spatial task previously not examined in this population. Broadening knowledge about spatial cognition in this disorder will allow for a better understanding of development in this disorder and any potential strengths that may exist.