According to executive function and information processing models, even if individu- als with ASD remember the same information as individuals with typical develop- ment, the way in which they have learned that information is assumed to be different.
This difference may affect the nature of the memories themselves, but will especially affect access to those memories. Individuals with ASD may have difficulty freely recall- ing and relating information that was not received in a verbal form. They may have
difficulty reporting events that happened to others that they did not personally experi- ence and may even have difficulty relating personally experienced events (Maras, Memon, Lamrechts, & Bowler, 2013).
Free‐recall techniques may be less effective with an individual with ASD. More specific questioning may be required to provide the support the individual with ASD needs to relate an episodic memory. In addition, the type of support may be particu- larly important. For example, a cognitive interview technique that incorporates con- text reinstatement and imagery‐guided questions was reported to result in the reporting of more incorrect details by adults with ASD than a structured interview using free recall with follow‐up questions based on what the participant said in the free recall (Maras & Bowler, 2010). Accessing the information first in a visual format may also be necessary. For example, children with ASD (average age 12 years) recalled more details with less inaccurate information when they were first given unlimited time to draw about a video that they had previously viewed (Mattison, Dando, &
Ormerod, 2015).
The executive function and information processing problems associated with ASD not only affect the encoding, storage, and retrieval of episodic information. Individuals with ASD also have difficulty with organization of information, meaning that they have difficulty with the organization of narratives or verbally‐relating personal events (e.g., Diehl et al., 2006; Losh & Capps, 2003). Even if individuals with ASD remem- ber and are supported in the recall of an autobiographical memory or personal event narrative, they may relate that information in a form that is difficult for their com- munication partner to understand with shorter, less grammatically complex sentences and reduced use of descriptive language (King, Dockrell, & Stuart, 2013).
Given the challenges previously described, obtaining autobiographical memories from individuals with ASD will require particular skill on the part of the interviewer.
Retrieval strategies will need to be used to facilitate both the quantity and the accu- racy of details recalled. Scaffolding will need to be used to promote organization of the spoken narrative. Individuals with ASD learn and think differently than typically developing individuals, and these differences will need to be appreciated and accom- modated by the communication partner to obtain reliable information.
Take‐Home Points
•
Information processing models of ASD emphasize the dynamic nature of the learning process•
Although individuals with ASD may easily retell pre‐organized, detailed information, they may have a relative weakness in relating more complex, unor- ganized episodic information•
Individuals with ASD lack organizational schemas that reduce large amount of information to more manageable forms•
Individuals with ASD may have difficulty converting their memories into spoken or written language•
Supportive retrieval mechanisms such as cued‐recall may be needed to help indi- viduals with ASD access their stored memories•
Obtaining autobiographical memories from individuals with ASD requires a skilled interviewer who can implement strategies to accommodate the challenges in retrieving and relating stored information that these individuals experienceReferences
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The Wiley Handbook of Memory, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and the Law, First Edition.
Edited by Jonni L. Johnson, Gail S. Goodman, and Peter C. Mundy.
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Published 2018 by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.