Human beings, animals and inanimate objects: what do people with autism like?
Autistic kids often prefer objects to people, so test social versus object reinforcers before treatment starts.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked the kids to sort photos into three piles: like, neutral, or dislike.
Eight kids had autism, eight had Down syndrome, and eight were neurotypical.
All groups were matched on verbal mental age, around five years.
Photos showed people, animals, or objects such as trains and blocks.
Kids simply placed each card on the pile that felt right to them.
What they found
Autistic kids put most objects in the “like” pile and most people in the “neutral” or “dislike” pile.
The other two groups did the opposite; they liked people best.
Even when verbal age was the same, social preference was lower in autism.
The gap was large enough that object preference could flag social differences.
How this fits with other research
Burrows et al. (2018) meta-analysis backs this up: autistic kids produce fewer and shorter facial expressions, showing the social gap is wider than just pictures.
Storch et al. (2012) extends the finding by turning known object preferences into teaching tools. They used liked objects to help autistic kids learn through observation, proving these preferences can drive instruction.
Sturmey et al. (2010) adds a twist that looks like a contradiction but isn’t. Their autistic sample used “we” as often as peers, hinting at some social language skill, yet eye-gaze was still low. The studies differ in method: Giorgio used silent photo sorts while Peter measured live talk and gaze. Together they show reduced social interest can coexist with intact pronoun use, so social preference and social language are separate targets.
Why it matters
Before you use praise, high-fives, or peer attention as a reinforcer, run a quick picture sort or forced-choice preference check. If objects win over faces, lead with object-based rewards first. Then pair those items with people to build social value over time. This small step can save you from failed reinforcement plans and speed up client progress.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
An experimental strategy based on the 'sorting by preference' approach was used to obtain information about the nature of the autistic syndrome. Twelve participants with autism (mean age 11:9 years), 12 with Down's syndrome (mean age 11:5 years) and 12 typically developing children (mean age 6:2 years) were matched on gender (M:F 9:3) and on verbal mental age. In a forced choice procedure they had to choose between: human beings or inanimate objects (relatedness condition); animals or inanimate objects (animate condition); drawings of a child handling a thing or of the same child in contact with another person (interpersonal relationship condition); pleasant or unpleasant situations without living beings (control condition). The performances of the groups differed only on the relatedness condition and on the interpersonal relationship condition. The results are discussed in the context of the social difficulties experienced by individuals with autism.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2002 · doi:10.1177/1362361302006001007