Autistic Children Lag in Distinguishing Living vs. Non-Living Things

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University have found that very young children with autism take longer to learn how to categorize objects and have particular difficulties learning to distinguish between living and non-living objects--a finding which may help to explain why they have trouble understanding the feelings and actions of others.

In this study, 11 children with autism, ranging in age from 34 to 46 months, performed a series of tasks -- some involving toy figures and others in which children followed objects moving on a computer monitor. In one experiment, children were asked to imitate the actions of a researcher who moved an object, such as a toy cat. Children were able to choose from other objects with varying degrees of similarities to the original toy. In the case of the toy cat, they could choose from a toy dog (the same category and the same parts); a toy dolphin (same category but different parts); a table (the same parts -- legs -- but in a different category); and a car (different parts and in a different category.) Researchers studied the children's play to see whether they chose a toy in the same category and with the same parts as the object chosen by the researcher, and whether they demonstrated the appropriate type of motion.

Researchers found that the children could make categorizations along the lines of parts and movement but had trouble identifying other factors, such as some objects being alive and moving of their own volition. They hope these findings will lead to developing earlier screening methods and therapies.

Findings are published in this month's edition of the Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities.