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Learning Curve Analyses in Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Are Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Truly Visual Learners?

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Abstract

Visual and auditory verbal learning using a selective reminding format was studied in a mixed clinical sample of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (n = 42), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (n = 83), velocardiofacial syndrome (n = 17) and neurotypicals (n = 38) using the Test of Memory and Learning to (1) more thoroughly characterize and examine the integrity of learning and memory processes, (2) to better understand the mechanisms of learning impairment, and (3) to inform instructional practices in ASD. Contrary to expectations, children with ASD demonstrated a relative weakness in the rate of acquisition of visual in contrast to verbal learning compared to neurotypicals. They also showed a complex pattern of consolidation. Overall, between-group differences were more likely to emerge during the visual learning task, suggesting that it may be more sensitive for detecting neurodevelopmental differences. The heuristic value of assessing memory and learning across multiple trials and comparing performance during immediate and delayed recall is discussed.

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Notes

  1. Standardized effect size should be interpreted cautiously (see Baguley 2009).

  2. Confidence intervals should be interpreted cautiously when used as visual approximations for evaluating statistical significance (see Belia et al. 2005).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, USA

    Lászlό Erdődi, Renée Lajiness-O’Neill & Thomas A. Schmitt

  2. Neuropsychology Section, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Health Systems, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Renée Lajiness-O’Neill

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH, USA

    Lászlό Erdődi

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  1. Lászlό Erdődi
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  2. Renée Lajiness-O’Neill
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  3. Thomas A. Schmitt
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Correspondence to Lászlό Erdődi.

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Erdődi, L., Lajiness-O’Neill, R. & Schmitt, T.A. Learning Curve Analyses in Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Are Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Truly Visual Learners?. J Autism Dev Disord 43, 880–890 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1630-9

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