A non-verbal test of social attribution for children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders

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Published

2010-12-01

How to Cite

Martín Borreguero, P., de Burgos Marín, R., Sánchez Vázquez, V., Guijarro Granados, T., & Romero Balsera, A. (2010). A non-verbal test of social attribution for children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Revista De Psiquiatría Infanto-Juvenil, 27(4), 331–342. Retrieved from https://aepnya.eu/index.php/revistaaepnya/article/view/164

Issue

Vol. 27 No. 4 (2010)

Section

Orginial article

Authors

  • Pilar Martín Borreguero USMI-J. Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía
  • Rafael de Burgos Marín USMI-J. Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía
  • Vicente Sánchez Vázquez USMI-J. Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía
  • Teresa Guijarro Granados USMI-J. Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía
  • Auxiliadora Romero Balsera USMI-J. Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía

Keywords:

Autism spectrum disorders, theory of mind (ToM), social attribution test, animated geometric shapes test

Abstract

Although it is well established that people with Autism Spectrum Disorders experience a generalized difficulty in mentalising, some very able individuals do pass high level theory of mind (TOM) tasks. It is believed that the use of their well developed cognitive-verbal reasoning skills compensates for the lack of mentalising and facilitates the success on TOM tasks. This paper presents a procedure to test mentalising ability through a totally non-verbal Test of Social Attribution. Eighty subjects with high-functioning autism or Asperger Syndrome (ASD) (N=20) and with age appropriate IQ and language scores, normally developing children aged 8-9 (N=20) and 12-13 (N=20) and adults (N=20) participated in this study. The results indicate significantly lower performance in the clinical group and a significant correlation between their performance and the time invested in attributing meaning to the animations. In the normally developing groups, there was evidence of a developmental trend with performance improving from late childhood into adolescence and then adulthood. This study provides support for a deficit in mentalising, and provides a basis for further investigation of the nature of the relationship between movement perception and social abilities.

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Author Biographies

Pilar Martín Borreguero, USMI-J. Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía

Psicólogo clínico

Rafael de Burgos Marín, USMI-J. Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía

Psiquiatra.

Vicente Sánchez Vázquez, USMI-J. Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía

Psicólogo clínico.

Teresa Guijarro Granados, USMI-J. Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía

Psiquiatra.

Auxiliadora Romero Balsera, USMI-J. Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía

Psiquiatra.

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