Heterogeneity in perceptual category learning by high functioning children with autism spectrum disorder.

ABSTRACT: Previous research suggests that high functioning (HF) children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) sometimes have problems learning categories, but often appear to perform normally in categorization tasks. The deficits that individuals with ASD show when learning categories have been attributed to executive dysfunction, general deficits in implicit learning, atypical cognitive strategies, or abnormal perceptual biases and abilities. Several of these psychological explanations for category learning deficits have been associated with neural abnormalities such as cortical underconnectivity. The present study evaluated how well existing neurally based theories account for atypical perceptual category learning shown by HF children with ASD across multiple category learning tasks involving novel

SUBMITTER: Mercado E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4477144 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature