BJP RCPsych Publications
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Psychiatric Bulletin Advances in Psychiatric Treatment All RCPsych Journals
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit an eLetter
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Baron-Cohen, S.
Right arrow Articles by Wheelwright, S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Baron-Cohen, S.
Right arrow Articles by Wheelwright, S.

The British Journal of Psychiatry 175: 484-490 (1999)
© 1999 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

'Obsessions' in children with autism or Asperger syndrome. Content analysis in terms of core domains of cognition

S Baron-Cohen and S Wheelwright
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge.

BACKGROUND: We report a survey of the content of obsessions in children with autism spectrum conditions. We use the term 'obsessions' narrowly, to indicate strong, repetitive interests. We predicted that obsessions would not cluster randomly, but rather would occur significantly more often in the domain of 'folk physics' (an interest in how things work), and significantly less often in the domain of 'folk psychology' (an interest in how people work). These predictions were tested relative to a control group of 33 children with Tourette syndrome. AIMS: To examine the content of autistic obsessions, and to test the theory that these reflect an evolved cognitive style of good folk physics alongside impaired folk psychology. METHOD: Ninety-two parents returned a questionnaire designed to determine the subject of their child's obsessional interests. The results were analysed in terms of core domains of cognition. RESULTS: Both predictions were confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that impaired folk psychology and superior folk physics are part of the cognitive phenotype of autism. A content-free theory of obsessions is inadequate.


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Am. J. Neuroradiol.Home page
O. Oner, H. Devrimci-Ozguven, F. Oktem, B. Yagmurlu, B. Baskak, and K.M. Munir
Proton MR Spectroscopy: Higher Right Anterior Cingulate N-Acetylaspartate/Choline Ratio in Asperger Syndrome Compared with Healthy Controls
AJNR Am. J. Neuroradiol., September 1, 2007; 28(8): 1494 - 1498.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Child NeurolHome page
R. C. Knickmeyer and S. Baron-Cohen
Topical Review: Fetal Testosterone and Sex Differences in Typical Social Development and in Autism
J Child Neurol, October 1, 2006; 21(10): 825 - 845.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 J Child NeurolHome page
S. Baron-Cohen, F. Scott, S. Wheelwright, M. Johnson, D. Bisarya, A. Desai, and J. Ahluwalia
Can Asperger Syndrome Be Diagnosed at 26 Months Old? A Genetic High-Risk Single-Case Study
J Child Neurol, April 1, 2006; 21(4): 351 - 356.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch. Dis. Child.Home page
S Baron-Cohen
Two new theories of autism: hyper-systemising and assortative mating
Arch. Dis. Child., January 1, 2006; 91(1): 2 - 5.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ScienceHome page
S. Baron-Cohen, R. C. Knickmeyer, and M. K. Belmonte
Sex Differences in the Brain: Implications for Explaining Autism
Science, November 4, 2005; 310(5749): 819 - 823.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurol. Neurosurg. PsychiatryHome page
S Baron-Cohen
The cognitive neuroscience of autism
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, July 1, 2004; 75(7): 945 - 948.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci.Home page
M. D. HAUSER
Knowing about Knowing: Dissociations between Perception and Action Systems over Evolution and during Development
Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., October 1, 2003; 1001(1): 79 - 103.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 AutismHome page
L. Binnie and J. Williams
Intuitive Psychology and Physics among Children with Autism and Typically Developing Children
Autism, June 1, 2003; 7(2): 173 - 193.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch Gen PsychiatryHome page
D. G. M. Murphy, H. D. Critchley, N. Schmitz, G. McAlonan, T. van Amelsvoort, D. Robertson, E. Daly, A. Rowe, A. Russell, A. Simmons, et al.
Asperger Syndrome: A Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study of Brain
Arch Gen Psychiatry, October 1, 2002; 59(10): 885 - 891.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Focus Autism Other Dev DisablHome page
M. Ghaziuddin
Asperger Syndrome: Associated Psychiatric and Medical Conditions
Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, January 1, 2002; 17(3): 138 - 144.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Focus Autism Other Dev DisablHome page
S. Baron-Cohen
Is Asperger Syndrome Necessarily Viewed as a Disability?
Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, January 1, 2002; 17(3): 186 - 191.
[Abstract] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Psychiatric Bulletin Advances in Psychiatric Treatment All RCPsych Journals
Copyright © 1999 The Royal College of Psychiatrists.