Hello and Goodbye: A Study of Social Engagement in Autism

Authors: Hobson R.P.; Lee A.

Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Volume 28, Number 2, April 1998 , pp. 117-127(11)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

We videotaped 24 children, adolescents, and young adults with autism, individually matched for chronological age and verbal mental age with 24 nonautistic persons with mental retardation, for their spontaneous and prompted greetings and farewells towards an unfamiliar adult. Compared with control subjects, those with autism were less likely to offer spontaneous verbal and nonverbal gestures of greeting and farewell, and were less likely to establish eye contact even when they were offered a greeting. There were also fewer autistic subjects who smiled, or who waved goodbye. Results corresponded with raters' subjective judgments of participants' interpersonal engagement with the stranger. One interpretation of the findings is that they reflect a relative lack of intersubjective engagement by autistic individuals.

Keywords: Autism; spontaneous gestures; interpersonal engagement

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Developmental Psychopathology Research Unit, Tavistock Clinic, 120 Belsize Lane, London NW3 5BA, and University College London Medical School, London, England

Publication date: 1998-04-01