Self-recognition in autistic children.
Most autistic preschoolers already know their own face, so target object permanence or self-esteem next, not mirror training.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Last et al. (1984) watched 15 autistic preschoolers look in a mirror. They put rouge on each child’s nose. Then they saw if the child touched the red spot on their own face.
The team also tested object permanence and imitation. They wanted to know if failing the mirror test meant kids did not know “me” from “other.”
What they found
Thirteen of the 15 kids touched the rouge on their own nose. They knew the face in the mirror was theirs.
The two who failed also failed object permanence tasks. Imitation scores did not predict the mirror result. So social problems are not caused by basic self–other confusion.
How this fits with other research
Lancioni et al. (2009) later used a delayed mirror photo task and got the same answer: most autistic kids show self-recognition. Together the two papers say, “Self-identity is intact; look elsewhere for social deficits.”
Hsieh et al. (2014) took the 1984 finding into classrooms. They taught joint-attention games with mirrors and raised self-awareness. The lab result became a lesson plan.
Bao et al. (2017) looked deeper. Kids who did recognize themselves still felt more negative about “me.” Mirror success does not guard against anxiety or depression.
Why it matters
You can stop asking, “Does this child know who he is?” in most cases. If a preschooler with ASD fails a mirror test, check object permanence first. Use that goal in play: hide toys, bring them back, then try the mirror again. When self-recognition is solid, move your teaching time to joint-attention mirror games or self-esteem work, not basic identity drills.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The hypothesis that the autistic child's impairment in social relatedness stems in part from underlying deficits in self-recognition was explored. Fifteen autistic children ranging from 4 to 6 years of age were assessed for visual self-recognition ability, as well as for skills in two cognitive areas that are believed to be related to the development of self-recognition--object permanence and gestural imitation. It was found that 13 of 15 autistic children showed evidence of self-recognition. The two autistic children who lacked self-recognition were the only two children to perform poorly on the object permanence tasks, which suggests that these two cognitive domains may be closely linked in development. In contrast, there appeared to be no consistent relationship between motor imitation ability and self-recognition. It was concluded that the autistic child's social deficits are not due to a basic lack of differentiation between self and other.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 1984 · doi:10.1007/BF02409829