Severe impairments of social interaction and associated abnormalities in children: Epidemiology and classification

Abstract

The prevalence, in children aged under 15, of severe impairments of social interaction, language abnormalities, and repetitive stereotyped behaviors was investigated in an area of London. A "socially impaired" group (more than half of whom were severely retarded) and a comparison group of "sociable severely mentally retarded" children were identified. Mutism or echolalia, and repetitive stereotyped behaviors were found in almost all the socially impaired children, but to a less marked extent in a minority of the sociable severely retarded. Certain organic conditions were found more often in the socially impaired group. A subgroup with a history of Kanner's early childhood autism could be identified reliably but shared many abnormalities with other socially impaired children. The relationships between mental retardation, typical autism, and other conditions involving social impairment were discussed, and a system of classification based on quality of social interaction was considered.

Social Interaction Style of Children and Adolescents with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…Parents reported that particularly children with an active-but-odd interaction style showed more social and emotional problems. This agrees with the clinical observation by Wing and Gould (1979) that active-but-odd children were sometimes rejected by their peers because of their peculiar behavior.…”

“…More than 30 years ago, Wing and Gould (1979) proposed social interaction style as a clinically relevant distinction among children with ASD. The results of the current study confirm the clinical relevance of the different social interaction styles of children with ASD.…”

“…However, considerable individual differences have also been documented between children with ASD in the quality and quantity of interaction with peers (Kasari et al 2011;Sigman and Ruskin 1999). Wing and Gould (1979) first differentiated individuals with ASD based on their social interaction style. They systematically described three different social subtypes of autism.…”

When Prototypes Are Not Best: Judgments Made by Children with Autism

“…For example, the expression of social impairments varies. Wing and Gould (1979)'s epidemiological study of autism found that some children with autism could be described as withdrawn and aloof, others as socially active but inappropriate and others showed unusual passivity in relation to social situations. General recognition of this heterogeneity has led some researchers to speculate that inconsistent findings between studies can be attributable to the fact that subgroups exist that vary in their likelihood to show diminished performance on the task of interest.…”

Brief Report: Imaginative Drawing in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Learning Disabilities

“…Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have documented impairment in imagination, reflected in repetitive behavior (Bodfish, Symons, Parker, & Lewis, 2000;American Psychiatric Association, 2013;Wing & Gould, 1979) and difficulties with pretense and symbolic play (Jarrold, Boucher, & Smith, 1996;Wolfberg, 2009;see Jarrold, 2003 for a review). One way imagination has been assessed in children with ASD is by analyzing creative drawings, which can provide a rich way to assess conceptual knowledge (Freeman, 1980;Cox, 2005) without the requirement of verbal explanations that can be difficult for children with language impairment.…”