Allocentric Versus Egocentric Spatial Memory in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Melanie Ring, Sebastian B Gaigg, Mareike Altgassen and 2 others
PMID 29380269WHAT IT FOUND
Adults with ASD spent less time in the correct area than typically developing adults when they had to learn a hidden platform from different sides.
This difficulty was absent in self-centred navigation and when the platform moved with objects.
Key findings
01In the original allocentric condition, adults with ASD spent a shorter percentage of time in the target quadrant than typically developing adults, while the original egocentric condition showed no group difference.
02In the added allocentric 2 and egocentric 2 conditions, there was no overall group difference and no group by condition difference.
03The groups learned the platform position similarly in place learning and did not differ on visual short-term memory or mental rotation tasks.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The task was a computerised aerial view, not real-world navigation, so it may not show how people navigate in daily life. The allocentric condition may have been more complex than the egocentric condition, and the added allocentric 2 condition did not show a group difference. Only 23 of 26 ASD participants had ADOS scores reported, and the ASD group was heterogeneous. The typically developing group included more women than the ASD group, and gender was related to allocentric performance. Some participants were excluded from or did not complete the memory and mental rotation tasks, so those null results rest on fewer participants. The study compared groups on tasks; it did not test an intervention.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that adults with ASD have a general navigation difficulty. The difference appeared only in one allocentric condition, not in egocentric navigation or in the added allocentric condition, and no intervention was tested.