Though disorder in high-functioning autistic adults.
High-functioning autistic adults can show poverty of speech and odd perceptions that resemble but differ from schizophrenia, so test results need careful autism-wise interpretation.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Dykens et al. (1991) gave Rorschach inkblot tests to high-functioning autistic adults. They wanted to see if the adults showed thought disorder like people with schizophrenia.
The team looked for poverty of speech and perceptual distortions. They compared the answers to what is typical in schizophrenia.
What they found
The autistic adults did show poverty of speech and odd perceptions. These signs looked a bit like schizophrenia but were not the same.
The patterns overlapped, yet the authors saw clear differences. This hinted that thought disorder in autism has its own shape.
How this fits with other research
Davison et al. (1995) ran almost the same Rorschach study and found no meaningful thought-disorder gap between high-functioning autism and Asperger syndrome. This direct replication supports the 1991 method but shows the tool cannot split autism sub-groups.
Al-Yagon et al. (2022) later widened the lens. They found social-cognition scores are mixed in autistic adults, just as thought-disorder signs are mixed. The newer work tells us not to assume one flat profile.
Morrison et al. (2017) kept the autism-schizophrenia comparison but looked at live social skills. They mapped distinct profiles: autism lacked back-and-forth, while schizophrenia showed flat faces and gaze issues. Together these papers say overlap exists, yet each diagnosis keeps unique markers.
Why it matters
If you assess an autistic adult, do not jump to schizophrenia because speech is brief or descriptions sound odd. Use the Rorschach only as one data point, not a rule-in test. Pair it with social-skill probes and clear history taking. Note unique autism features like concrete thinking or detail focus, and document them plainly in your report. This guards against mis-diagnosis and keeps treatment goals autism-specific.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Examined thought disorder in a sample (n = 11) of high-functioning autistic young adults and older adolescents (mean IQ = 83) utilizing objective ratings from the Thought, Language and Communication Disorder Scale (TLC Scale) and projective data from the Rorschach ink blots. Results from the TLC Scale pointed to negative features of thought disorder in this sample (e.g., Poverty of Speech). Rorschach protocols revealed poor reality testing and perceptual distortions in every autistic subject, and also identified several areas of cognitive slippage (e.g., Incongruous Combinations, Fabulized Combinations, Deviant Responses, Inappropriate Logic). Comparing TLC Scale and Rorschach results to schizophrenic reference groups, autistic subjects demonstrated significantly more Poverty of Speech and less Illogically on the TLC Scale, and on the Rorschach they evidenced features of thought disorder that are encountered also in schizophrenia. Results are discussed in relation to the measures employed, and to areas of similarity and difference between autism and schizophrenia.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 1991 · doi:10.1007/BF02207326