Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Aug;25(3):643-52.
doi: 10.1017/S0954579413000072.

Interests in high-functioning autism are more intense, interfering, and idiosyncratic than those in neurotypical development

Laura Gutermuth Anthony  1 , Lauren Kenworthy, Benjamin E Yerys, Kathryn F Jankowski, Joette D James, Madeline B Harms, Alex Martin, Gregory L Wallace
Affiliations

Interests in high-functioning autism are more intense, interfering, and idiosyncratic than those in neurotypical development

Laura Gutermuth Anthony et al. Dev Psychopathol. 2013 Aug.

Abstract

Although circumscribed interests are pathognomonic with autism, much about these interests remains unknown. Using the Interests Scale (IS), this study compares interests between 76 neurotypical (NT) individuals and 109 individuals with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HF-ASD) matched groupwise on age, IQ, and gender ratio. Participants and their parents/caregivers completed diagnostic measures (the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule; HF-ASD only), cognitive tests (Wechsler IQ Scales), and questionnaires (the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, and the Social Responsiveness Scale), in addition to the IS. Consistent with previous research, HF-ASD and NT individuals did not differ in number of interest areas, but the types of interests and intensity of those interests differed considerably. Using only the IS intensity score, 81% of individuals were correctly classified (NT or HF-ASD) in a logistic regression analysis. Among individuals with HF-ASD, Interests Scale scores were significantly related to Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised, and Social Responsiveness Scale scores, but they were not related to Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised scores, IQ, gender, age, or psychotropic medication use. The type and intensity, but not the number, of interests distinguish high-functioning individuals with ASD from NT individuals.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest

Lauren Kenworthy receives financial compensation for use of the BRIEF in this study. The other authors have no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Alexander JM, Johnson KE, Leibham ME, Kelley K. The development of conceptual interests in young children. Cognitive Development. 2004;23(2):324–334.
    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (fourth ed., text rev.) Washington, D.C: American Psychiatric Association; 2000.
    1. Baker MJ. Incorporating the thematic ritualistic behaviors of children with autism into games: Increasing social play interactions with siblings. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions. 2000;2(2):66–84.
    1. Baker MJ, Koegel RL, Koegel LK. Increasing the social behavior of young children with autism using their obsessive behaviors. Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps. 1998;23(4):300–308.
    1. Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S. ‘Obsessions’ in children with autism or Asperger Syndrome: a content analysis in terms of core domains of cognition. British Journal of Psychiatry. 1999;175:484–490. - PubMed

Publication types