A Comparative Study of Infantile Autism and Specific Developmental Receptive Language Disorder

TLDR

Extensive evidence shows autistic children have a specific language‑impairment cognitive defect, supported by clinical patterns, long‑term course, and experimental studies. The study aims to clarify the boundaries of this deficit, its role as a primary handicap, and whether it directly causes the behavioural syndrome or requires environmental interaction.

Abstract

There is now extensive evidence that autistic children manifest a specific cognitive defect involving language impairment (Rutter, 1974). The presence of such a deficit is demonstrated by the pattern of clinical findings (Rutter, 1968; Rutter, Bartak and Newman, 1971), the long term course of the disorder (Rutter, 1970), and the results of systematic experimental studies (Hermelin and O'Connor, 1970). Nevertheless, basic questions remain concerning the meaning of this deficit for theories on the nature and causation of infantile autism. First, what are the boundaries of the cognitive deficit and in particular does it extend outside language? Second, does it constitute the primary handicap which gives rise to other symptoms? Thirdly, if it does, does the cognitive deficit lead directly to the behavioural syndrome or must there be an interaction with a particular set of environmental or other circumstances for the syndrome to develop?