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Ashok K. Goel

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Biologically Inspired Design

A Cognitive Model of Autism

A Cognitive Model of Autism

Project Members: Maithilee Kunda, Ashok Goel

In this project, we seek to develop a cognitive model of autism. In particular, if we can elucidate the cognitive characteristics of autism, we will be able to derive new ways of communicating with, understanding, teaching, and learning from individuals on the spectrum.

Ever since the discoveries of autism and Asperger’s syndrome in the 1940s by physicians Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger, autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have been defined by the atypical behaviors that they produce. In particular, ASDs are developmental conditions characterized by atypical social interactions, communication skills, and patterns of behavior and interests, as described in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR, 2000).

While the occurrence of autism has long been linked to genetic factors, no definitive physiological markers have yet been identified as root causes. However, current hypotheses have traced out a plausible etiology, illustrated below, in which the emergence of autism follows a causal pathway that leads from genetic and possible environmental factors, through neurobiological development and cognitive functioning, and finally to the atypical behavioral manifestations that are the hallmarks of autism (adapted from Minshew & Goldstein, 1998).


etiology2.jpg


In developing a cognitive model of autism, we propose that a valid theory must adhere to three constraints:
  1. Provide sufficient explanation of ASDs.
  2. Be neurologically plausible.
  3. Be psychologically plausible.
These constraints can be fulfilled through the theory's relationships with three bodies of knowledge that exist within the current understanding of autism:
  1. The diagnostic criteria for ASDs (e.g. as given by the DSM-IV)
  2. Current literature on the neurological functioning of persons with ASDs (e.g. studies using fMRI or other brain imaging methods).
  3. Current literature on the cognitive functioning of persons with ASDs (e.g. studies using psychological tests, especially tests of cognitive skills).
In this project, we are working on a new model for cognitive functioning in autism that explores the impacts of representational limitations. We are also constructing a framework for situating new and existing cognitive theories of autism in order to better understand how they relate to other theories and to existing experimental literature in both the neurobiological and psychological domains.


References

American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Revised 4th Ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Minshew, N. J., & Goldstein, G. (1998). Autism as a disorder of complex information processing. Mental Retardation & Devel. Disabilities Res. Rev., 4, 129-136
Last modified 4 March 2008 at 12:35 pm by mkunda
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