Comprehension of pretense in children with autism

C Jarrold, PK Smith, J Boucher, P Harris

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

38 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In an attempt to tap underlying competencies, the ability of children with autism to comprehend pretend acts carried out by an experimenter was compared with that shown by controls. These acts consisted of the pouring of a pretend substance from an appropriate container onto a target figure. There was no significant difference in the groups' ability to identify the pretend substance involved, to predict the pretend outcome of the actions, or to reflect on the pretend nature of the episodes. However, the performance of controls on these latter two tasks was surprisingly poor, limiting the implications that might be drawn from the observed absence of group differences in comprehension abilities.
Translated title of the contributionComprehension of pretense in children with autism
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)433 - 455
Number of pages23
JournalJournal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Volume24
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 1994

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Comprehension of pretense in children with autism'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this