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- Brief Report: Atypical Social Cognition and Social Behaviours in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Different Way of Processing Rather than an Impairment. (2008, 21.Aug. 14:11)
Brief Report: Atypical Social Cognition and Social Behaviours in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Different Way of Processing Rather than an Impairment. J Autism Dev Disord. 2008 Aug 19; Authors: O'Connor K, Kirk I A central question to autism research is whether autism is largely the result of an impairment in social cognition and/or motivation or the result of a more general processing difference. This review discusses problems with the "social deficit" model of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It is suggested that superior attention to low-level perceptual information potentially coupled with decreased attention to global information may provide a more comprehensive explanation for atypical social behaviours in ASD. This processing style may reflect increased activation of occipital-temporal regions and reduced functional (and possibly anatomical) connectivity. It is concluded that atypical social behaviours in ASD are more likely to be a consequence reflective of a general processing difference than impairment in social cognition and/or motivation. PMID: 18712466 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]Related Articles - Evidence-based review of interventions for autism used in or of relevance to occupational therapy. (2008, 21.Aug. 14:11)
Evidence-based review of interventions for autism used in or of relevance to occupational therapy. Am J Occup Ther. 2008 Jul-Aug;62(4):416-29 Authors: Case-Smith J, Arbesman M Occupational therapy practitioners are among the professionals who provide services to children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), embracing both leadership and supportive roles in service delivery. The study's primary aims were as follows: (1) to identify, evaluate, and synthesize the research literature on interventions for ASD of relevance to occupational therapy and (2) to interpret and apply the research literature to occupational therapy. A total of 49 articles met the authors' criteria and were included in the review. Six categories of research topics were identified, the first 3 of which are most closely related to occupational therapy: (1) sensory integration and sensory-based interventions; (2) relationship-based, interactive interventions; (3) developmental skill-based programs; (4) social cognitive skill training; (5) parent-directed or parent-mediated approaches; and (6) intensive behavioral intervention. Under each category, themes supported by research evidence and applicable to occupational therapy were defined. The findings have implications for intervention methods, communication regarding efficacious practices to professionals and consumers, and future occupational therapy research. PMID: 18712004 [PubMed - in process]Related Articles - Melody and pitch processing in five musical savants with congenital blindness. (2008, 21.Aug. 14:11)
Melody and pitch processing in five musical savants with congenital blindness. Perception. 2008;37(2):290-307 Authors: Pring L, Woolf K, Tadic V We examined absolute-pitch (AP) and short-term musical memory abilities of five musical savants with congenital blindness, seven musicians, and seven non-musicians with good vision and normal intelligence in two experiments. In the first, short-term memory for musical phrases was tested and the savants and musicians performed statistically indistinguishably, both significantly outperforming the non-musicians and remembering more material from the C major scale sequences than random trials. In the second experiment, participants learnt associations between four pitches and four objects using a non-verbal paradigm. This experiment approximates to testing AP ability. Low statistical power meant the savants were not statistically better than the musicians, although only the savants scored statistically higher than the non-musicians. The results are evidence for a musical module, separate from general intelligence; they also support the anecdotal reporting of AP in musical savants, which is thought to be necessary for the development of musical-savant skill. PMID: 18456928 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]Related Articles
