Story-telling ability in Children with Autism or Asperger’s Syndrome: a Window into the Imagination

Craig, J, and Baron-Cohen, S. (2000)

Autism spectrum conditions are diagnosed on the basis of impaired imagination. The present study used a totally free story-telling method to assess if narratives produced by children with autism or Asperger Syndrome (AS) contained fewer imaginative events.

Method: In Condition 1, children were offered an imaginary theme and asked to elaborate a story. In Condition 2, they were offered a reality-based theme with the some instructions. Results: Both the children with autism and AS were less likely to introduce imaginary elements into their stories in Condition 2, though the children with AS were more likely to introduce imaginative narratives than children with autism in Condition 1.