Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T14:35:07.847Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Multiple cognitive capabilities/deficits in children with an autism spectrum disorder: “Weak” central coherence and its relationship to theory of mind and executive control

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2006

ELIZABETH PELLICANO ,
MURRAY MAYBERY ,
KEVIN DURKIN  and
ALANA MALEY
ELIZABETH PELLICANO
Affiliation:
University of Oxford
MURRAY MAYBERY
Affiliation:
University of Western Australia
KEVIN DURKIN
Affiliation:
University of Strathclyde
ALANA MALEY
Affiliation:
University of Western Australia
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This study examined the validity of “weak” central coherence (CC) in the context of multiple cognitive capabilities/deficits in autism. Children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and matched typically developing children were administered tasks tapping visuospatial coherence, false-belief understanding and aspects of executive control. Significant group differences were found in all three cognitive domains. Evidence of local processing on coherence tasks was widespread in the ASD group, but difficulties in attributing false beliefs and in components of executive functioning were present in fewer of the children with ASD. This cognitive profile was generally similar for younger and older children with ASD. Furthermore, weak CC was unrelated to false-belief understanding, but aspects of coherence (related to integration) were associated with aspects of executive control. Few associations were found between cognitive variables and indices of autistic symptomatology. Implications for CC theory are discussed.The authors thank all of the children, families, and teachers for their generous support and participation in this study. Invaluable help with recruitment was provided by Sue Luscombe, Emma Glasson, Kathy Ziatas, various speech pathologists, ISADD, the Autism Association, Therapy Focus, FOCAS, and the Asperger's Syndrome and Second Step support groups. We are also grateful to Western Psychological Services for providing prepublication copies of the SCQ and to the Apex Foundation Trust for Autism for awarding a grant to the first (E.P.) and third authors (K.D.), which funded administration of the Autism Diagnostic Interview—Revised. The second author (M.M.) was supported by Australian Research Council Grant DP0452312.

Type
Research Article
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 18 , Issue 1 , March 2006 , pp. 77 - 98
Copyright
© 2006 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Bailey, A., & Parr, J. (2003). Implications of the broader phenotype for concepts of autism. In G. Bock & J. Goode (Eds.), Autism: Neural basis and treatment possibilities. Novartis Foundation Symposium 251 (pp. 26–47). Chichester: Wiley.
Baron-Cohen, S., & Hammer, J. (1997). Is autism an extreme form of the “male brain”? Advances in Infancy Research, 11, 193–217.Google Scholar
Baron-Cohen, S., Leslie, A. M., & Frith, U. (1985). Does the autistic child have a “theory of mind”? Cognition, 21, 37–46.Google Scholar
Beery, K. E. (1997). Manual for the Beery–Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual–Motor Integration. Parsippany, NJ: Modern Curriculum Press.
Berger, H. J. C., Aerts, F. H. T. M., van Spaendonck, K. P. M., Cools, A. R., & Teunisse, J. P. (2003). CC and cognitive shifting in relation to social improvement in high-functioning young adults with autism. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 25, 502–511.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beversdorf, D. Q., Anderson, J. M., Manning, S. E., Anderson, S. L., Nordgren, R. E., Felopulos, G. J., et al. (2001). Brief report: Macrographia in high-functioning adults with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 31, 97–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bishop, D. V. M., Aamodt-Leeper, G., Creswell, C., McGurk, R., & Skuse, D. (2002). Individual differences in cognitive planning on the Tower of Hanoi task: Neuropsychological maturity or measurement error? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 42, 551–556.Google Scholar
Bishop, D. V. M., & Norbury, C. F. (2002). Exploring the borderlands of autistic disorder and specific language impairment: A study using standardized diagnostic instruments. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 43, 917–929.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Booth, R., Charlton, R., Hughes, C., & Happé, F. (2003). Disentangling weak coherence and executive dysfunction: Planning drawing in autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B, 358, 387–392.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bowler, D. M. (2001). Autism: Specific cognitive deficit or emergent end point of multiple interacting systems? In J. A. Burack, T. Charman, N. Yirmiya, & P. R. Zelazo (Eds.), The development of autism: Perspectives from theory and research (pp. 219–235). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Brian, J. A., & Bryson, S. E. (1996). Disembedding performance and recognition memory in autism/PDD. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 37, 865–872.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burack, J. A., Iarocci, G., Bowler, D., & Mottron, L. (2002). Benefits and pitfalls in the merging of disciplines: The example of developmental psychopathology and the study of persons with autism. Development and Psychopathology, 14, 225–237.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Capps, L., Kehres, J., & Sigman, M. (1998). Conversational abilities among children with autism and children with developmental delays. Autism, 2, 325–344.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coates, S. W. (1972). Manual for the Preschool Embedded Figures Test. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Dawson, G., Meltzoff, A., Osterling, J., & Rinaldi, J. (1998). Neuropsychological correlates of early symptoms of autism. Child Development, 69, 1276–1285.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dawson, G., Webb, S., Schellenberg, G. D., Dager, S., Friedman, S., Aylward, E., et al. (2002). Defining the broader phenotype of autism: genetic, brain, and behavioral perspectives. Development and Psychopathology, 14, 581–611.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dunn, L. M., & Dunn, L. M. (1997). Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test—Third Edition. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.
Elliott, C. D. (1990). Differential Ability Scales. New York: Psychological Corporation.
Frith, U. (1989). Autism: Explaining the enigma. Oxford: Blackwell.
Frith, U. (2003). Autism: Explaining the enigma (2nd ed.). Oxford: Blackwell.
Frith, U., & Happé, F. (1994). Autism: Beyond “theory of mind.” Cognition, 50, 115–132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frith, U., Morton, J., & Leslie, A. M. (1991). The cognitive basis of a biological disorder: Autism. Trends in Neurosciences, 14, 433–438.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hammill, D. D., Pearson, N. A., & Voress, J. K. (1993). Developmental test of visual perception. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
Happé, F. (1994). Wechsler IQ profile and theory of mind in autism: A research note. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 35, 1461–1471.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Happé, F. (2001). Social and nonsocial development in autism: Where are the links? In J. A. Burack, T. Charman, N. Yirmiya, & P. R. Zelazo (Eds.), The development of autism: Perspectives from theory and research (pp. 237–253). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Happé, F. (2003). Cognition in autism: one deficit or many? In G. Bock & J. Goode (Eds.), Autism: Neural basis and treatment possibilities. Novartis Foundation Symposium 251 (pp. 198–212). Chichester: Wiley.
Happé, F. G. E. (1997). Central coherence and theory of mind in autism: Reading homographs in context. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 15, 1–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hughes, C. (1996). Control of action and thought: Normal development and dysfunction in autism: A research note. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 37, 229–236.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hughes, C. (1998). Executive function in preschoolers: Links with theory of mind and verbal ability. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 16, 233–253.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jarrold, C., Butler, D. W., Cottington, E. M., & Jiminez, F. (2000). Linking theory of mind and CC bias in autism and in the general population. Developmental Psychology, 36, 126–138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jarrold, C., & Russell, J. (1997). Counting abilities in autism: Possible implications for central coherence theory. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 27, 25–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jolliffe, T., & Baron-Cohen, S. (1997). Are people with autism and Asperger syndrome faster than normal on the Embedded Figures Test? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 38, 527–534.Google Scholar
Jolliffe, T., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2001). A test of CC theory: Can adults with high-functioning autism or Asperger syndrome integrate fragments of an object? Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, 6, 193–216.Google Scholar
Joseph, R. M., & Tager-Flusberg, H. (2004). The relationship of theory of mind and executive functions to symptom type and severity in children with autism. Development and Psychopathology, 16, 137–155.Google Scholar
Karmiloff-Smith, A., Scerif, G., & Thomas, M. (2002). Different approaches to relating genotype to phenotype in developmental disorders. Developmental Psychobiology, 40, 311–322.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liss, M., Fein, D., Allen, D., Dunn, M., Feinstein, C., Morris, R., et al. (2001). Executive functioning in high-functioning children with autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 42, 261–270.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lord, C., Rutter, M., DiLavore, P. C., & Risi, S. (1999). Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule—WPS (ADOS-WPS). Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.
Lord, C., Rutter, M., & Le Couteur, A. (1994). Autism Diagnostic Interview—Revised. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24, 659–685.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morgan, B., Maybery, M., & Durkin, K. (2003). Weak central coherence, poor joint attention, and low verbal IQ: Independent deficits in early autism. Developmental Psychology, 39, 646–656.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mottron, L. (2004). Matching strategies in cognitive research with individuals with high-functioning autism: Current practices, instrument biases, and recommendations. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 34, 19–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mottron, L., & Belleville, S. (1993). A study of perceptual analysis in a high-level autistic subject with exceptional graphic abilities. Brain and Cognition, 23, 279–309.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mottron, L., Belleville, S., & Ménard, E. (1999). Local bias in autistic subjects as evidenced by graphic tasks: Perceptual hierarchization or working memory deficit? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40, 743–755.Google Scholar
Mottron, L., Burack, J. A., Iarocci, G., Belleville, S., & Enns, J. T. (2003). Locally oriented perception with intact global processing among adolescents with high-functioning autism: Evidence from multiple paradigms. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 44, 904–913.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ozonoff, S., Pennington, B. F., & Rogers, S. J. (1991). Executive function deficits in high-functioning autistic individuals: Relationship to theory of mind. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 32, 1081–1105.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pellicano, E., Maybery, M., & Durkin, K. (2005). Central coherence in typically developing preschoolers: Does it cohere and does it relate to ToM and executive control? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 46, 533–547.Google Scholar
Pennington, B. F., Rogers, S. J., Bennetto, L., McMahon, E., Reed, D. T., & Shyu, V. (1997). Validity tests of the executive dysfunction hypothesis of autism. In J. Russell (Ed.), Autism as an executive disorder (pp. 143–178). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Perner, J., Leekam, S. R., & Wimmer, H. (1987). Three-year-olds' difficulty with false belief: The case for a conceptual deficit. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 5, 125–137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perner, J., & Wimmer, H. (1985). “John thinks that Mary thinks that …” Attributions of second-order beliefs by 5–10 year old children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 39, 437–471.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plaisted, K., Saksida, L., Alcántara, J., & Weisblatt, E. (2003). Towards an understanding of the mechanisms of weak central coherence effects: Experiments in visual configural learning and auditory perception. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B, 358, 375–386.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plaisted, K., Swettenham, J., & Rees, L. (1999). Children with autism show local precedence in a divided attention task and global precedence in a selective attention task. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40, 733–742.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rinehart, N. J., Bradshaw, J. L., Moss, S. A., Brereton, A. V., & Tonge, B. J. (2000). Atypical interference of local detail on global processing in high-functioning autism and Asperger's disorder. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 41, 769–778.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roid, G. H., & Miller, L. J. (1997). Leiter International Performance Scale, Revised. Chicago: Stoelting Co.
Ropar, D., & Mitchell, P. (2001). Susceptibility to illusions and performance on visuospatial tasks in individuals with autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 42, 539–549.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rumsey, J., Rapoport, M., & Sceery, W. (1985). Autistic children as adults: Psychiatric, social and behavioral outcomes. Journal of American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 24, 465–473.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rutter, M., Bailey, A., & Lord, C. (2003). SCQ: Social Communication Questionnaire. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.
Shah, A., & Frith, U. (1983). An islet of ability in autistic children: A research note. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 24, 613–620.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shah, A., & Frith, U. (1993). Why do autistic individuals show superior performance on the Block Design task? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 34, 1354–1364.Google Scholar
Shallice, T. (1982). Specific impairments in planning. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B, 298, 199–209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Teunisse, J., Cools, A. R., van Spaendonck, K. P. M., Aerts, F. H. T. M., & Berger, H. J. C. (2001). Cognitive styles in high-functioning adolescents with autistic disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 31, 55–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Travis, L., Sigman, M., & Ruskin, E. (2001). Links between social understanding and social behavior in verbally able children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 31, 119–130.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turner, M. (1997). Towards an executive dysfunction account of repetitive behavior in autism. In J. Russell (Ed.), Autism as an executive disorder (pp. 57–100). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Turner, M. (1999). Generating novel ideas: Fluency performance in high-functioning and learning disabled individuals with autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40, 189–201.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wechsler, D. (1989). Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence—Revised. New York: Psychological Corporation.
Wing, L., & Gould, L. (1979). Severe impairments of social interaction and associated abnormalities in children: Epidemiology and classification. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 9, 11–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Witkin, H. A., Oltman, P. K., Raskin, E., & Karp, S. (1971). A manual for the Embedded Figures Test. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
World Health Organization. (1993). International Classification of Disease (10th ed.). Geneva: Author.
Yirmiya, N., Erel, O., Shaked, M., & Solomonica-Levi, D. (1998). Meta-analyses comparing theory of mind abilities in individuals with autism, individuals with mental retardation and normally developing individuals. Psychological Bulletin, 124, 283–307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zelazo, P. D., Müller, U., Frye, D., & Marcovitch, S. (2003). The development of executive function in early childhood. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 68, 8–155.Google Scholar