Differences in the structure of social behaviour of autistic children and non-autistic retarded controls

J K Buitelaar; H van Engeland; K H de Kogel; H de Vries; J A van Hooff

doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.1991.tb01925.x

Differences in the structure of social behaviour of autistic children and non-autistic retarded controls

J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1991 Sep;32(6):995-1015. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1991.tb01925.x.

Authors

J K Buitelaar¹, H van Engeland, K H de Kogel, H de Vries, J A van Hooff

Affiliation

¹ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Utrecht University Hospital, The Netherlands.

PMID: 1744201
DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1991.tb01925.x

Abstract

Social and task-oriented behaviours of autistic children were compared to those of individually age- and IQ-matched non-autistic retarded controls. Autistic children showed deficits in visual reciprocity, in indicating joint attention and referential head gestures, and in the integration of gaze and gestures when reacting to tasks. The findings confirmed the notion of social and pragmatic communicative deficits in autism. The implications of these findings for theories of social behaviour in autism (avoidance, facial perception, theory of mind) are discussed.

MeSH terms

Autistic Disorder / diagnosis
Autistic Disorder / psychology*
Child
Female
Fixation, Ocular
Humans
Intellectual Disability / diagnosis
Intellectual Disability / psychology*
Male
Motivation
Nonverbal Communication*
Play and Playthings
Social Behavior*
Social Environment
Verbal Behavior