Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre
Research projects - Social-Cognitive Development
The social-emotional and social-cognitive difficulties that result from having an ASD are central to the ability of affected individuals to relate to other people in a meaningful way. Research on social-emotional and social-cognitive abilities in children and adolescents with an ASD assist in understanding the basis of this development. This knowledge can also provide us with clues on effective ways to intervene to promote optimal social relationships with others.
1. Comparative studies of social and emotional development of children with high- functioning Autism and Asperger's Disorder
Despite social impairments being central to both Autistic Disorder and Asperger's Disorder, there has been surprisingly little comparative work on their social skills. We have focused on the social responsiveness and social understanding of these children, their peer interactions, pretend play and early moral/cognitive development. To date, we have collected data on two cohorts of children. The first cohort is aged between 6 and 10 years and the second cohort is aged between 4 and 7 years. The overarching aim in this program is to inform the debate about the diagnostic distinctions, or lack thereof, between Autism and Asperger's Disorder.
2. Self-other relations in Autism
Understanding 'self' and 'other' is integral to social-cognitive and social-emotional development. Autism is frequently viewed as a 'disorder of self-other relations', yet some aspects of self and other relations seem to be unaffected. Studies underway with current doctoral students Amanda Newbign and Felicity Chandler address the development of self-other relations in high-functioning children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. We are investigating different aspects of self and other awareness as well as the development of the children's understanding of their relationship with their caregiver. A related investigation of the narrative autobiographical abilities of these children is also underway in collaboration with Dr Lesley Stirling at the University of Melbourne.
The impairments in the development of self are also hypothesized to impact on the organization and structure of memory in Autism. A PhD student, Sarah Chan, has recently begun to investigate the organization and structure of memory in children with autism. This work will throw light on how children with Autism learn. Sarah is supported by an Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre scholarship.
3. Understanding pretend play in Autism
Pretend play deficits are regarded as a hallmark of Autism, and are included as one of the diagnostic criteria. However, some research indicates that children with Autism engage in pretend play in special environments. In a series of studies focusing on high-functioning children with Autism we have consistently failed to find generalized deficits in either elicited or spontaneous pretend play with the exception of the ability to substitute one object for another with the exception of the ability to engage in object substitution. Together with a doctoral student (Jessica Mifsud), we are currently collaborating with two research teams in the UK headed up by Professor Sue Leekam (University of Durham) and Professor Peter Hobson (University College London) to investigate this further. A Nuffield Foundation grant has funded this collaboration.
4. Perception and attribution of agency and intentionality in children with Autism
The overall objective in this research is to systematically investigate the role of the information complexity in the social deficits of children with Autism. This research began with a Master of Psychology project at RMIT University with Dr Amanda Richdale and was followed by a joint RMIT / La Trobe study by Dr Richdale and Dr Cheryl Dissanayake and a group of students. The aim of this work is to investigate the abilities of children with high-functioning Autism to perceive and attribute intentionality by having them describe what is happening during 2-dimensional displays of moving shapes. Dr Richdale is now at La Trobe and she and Dr Dissanayake intend continuing this research.
5. Studies of early social-cognitive development in typically developing children
A related program of research is underway at the Child Development Unit that focuses on the early social cognitive development in typically developing infants and young children. This complements the work within the area of Autism undertaken at OTARC. Together with honours and postgraduate students, we are studying the development of pretend play and its social and cognitive underpinnings. We also investigate the contribution of early social cognitive skills in infancy, such as joint attention and imitation, to the development of social competence in preschool children. We have recently explored how caregivers' focus on the mental intentions of infants contributes to the development of pretend play at age 2 years. Some of this work has been conducted in collaboration with Dr Mark Nielsen at Early Cognitive Development Unit at the University of Queensland.
6. Interaction styles of parents and their young children with ASD
Arising out of parent-mediated intervention work, Dr Kristelle Hudry has interests in exploring styles and patterns of parent-child interaction where the child is typically-developing or has an ASD. This will be an emerging area of research within OTARC. Currently, existing datasets of parent-child free-play interaction footage taken across multiple visits are being examined, to observe the ways in which patterned parent-child interaction emerges over infancy and into toddlerhood. Along with Dr Josephine Barbaro and Masters student, Lisa Rumney, we are also examining the impact of parental factors (e.g., the specific language spoken) on interaction styles with children with ASD.
7. Interconnectedness of social, linguistic, and cognitive abilities in ASD
Dr Kristelle Hudry, Dr Josephine Barbaro, Dr Giacomo Vivanti, and Masters student, Nicole Porter, are undertaking an investigation of the extent to which various developmental factors are interconnected in young children with ASD. Specifically, we are interested in the association between executive function skills and language acquisition at the early stages of language development, and the extent to which development in both of these areas might be influenced by factors such as child age, level of general cognitive ability, severity of ASD symptoms, and family patterns of language use.