Behavioral transitions in children with autism compared to children with Down syndrome in their natural habitats

It has been assumed that children with autism have difficulty transitioning from one activity to another, but there has been little systematic investigation of the transitioning behavior of children with autism in their natural environments. The methods of ecological psychology were used in this study to explore how children with autism transition from one activity to another in their natural environments and how the transitions made by children with autism compare to those made by children with Down syndrome. A new construct, the behavioral transition unit (BTU), was developed for use in this study. Eight boys with autism and 8 boys with Down syndrome between the ages of 6 and 10 years were observed in their homes using the methods of ecological psychology. The structure of the transitions and the behavior of the children and others in their homes during transitions were examined. It was found that the boys with autism spent more time transitioning and had more frequent BTUs, which indicates a more immature pattern of behavior than that exhibited by the boys with Down syndrome. The boys with autism also took more time beginning activities and less time ending activities than did the boys with Down syndrome. This may reflect particular cognitive deficits seen in people with autism. Family members and caregivers were more likely to become involved in the activities of the autism group. In addition, the children with Down syndrome had the goal of getting attention or interacting with others more often then did the children with autism. There were some interesting similarities between the groups also. The relationship of these results to other research and theory in autism is discussed.