autistic children show limited exploration of their envronment
A recent research finding confirms that autistic children show limited environmental exploration. Pierce & Courchesne (2001) report that children with autism spent significantly less time actively exploring and explored fewer items overall. Their research findings indicate a positive correlation between decreased exploration and cerebellar hypoplasia of vermal lobules VI-VII. ... These findings represent the first documented link between autistic behaviors and a particular neuroanatomic site. Unfortunately, there is limited research to determine if a relationship exists between behaviors unique to autism and neuroanatomic sites. ... Recent MRI and autopsy studies indicate that this population possesses an early maldevelopment of the cerebellar vermis and hemispheres in roughly 89% of 240 autistic subjects tested (Kemper& Bauman 1998). ... More importantly to our research is how this finding relates to behaviors unique in the autistic population. Animal research shows that laboratory animals with degenerative loss of Purkinje and granule cells engage in decreased hole-board exploration. ... The ramification of this study indicates that such cerebellar deficits affect exploration behavior and produces perseverative behavior. Pierce & Courchesne (2001) discovered similar responses in their autistic population. ... Behaviors such as restricted repertoire of activities and interests, absent awareness of others, poor social interaction, repetitive and stereotypic behaviors, and perseveration to rituals or objects, may be connected to a lack of interest in exploration. It is hypothesized that these behaviors, identified in the DSM-IV criteria for autistic disorder, are analogous to the decreased exploration behavior found in animal research.