The memory-metamemory connection in children with autism

The relation between metamemory and the use of memory strategies in children remains an open-ended question. Metamemory refers to the awareness of one's own memory processes. The focus of the present study was to investigate metamemory skills and the emergence of spontaneous rehearsal use in children with autism as compared to verbal mental aged-matched controls. The specific questions addressed in this study were: (A) whether the children with autism would experience greater metamemory difficulties, (B) if metamemory deficits would be associated with low levels of rehearsal use, and (C) related to the second question, whether metamemory would be a strong predictor of rehearsal, and consequently, recall performance.

Samples were 21 children with autism functioning in the moderate to high range, and 21 children matched to chronological and verbal mental age, ranging from developmentally disabled to non-handicapped. The sample with autism scored significantly lower on the metamemory questionnaire, and also had significantly fewer spontaneous rehearsers, than the comparison group. Interestingly, there was a main effect for rehearser classification, but not group (autism, non-autism) in predicting recall performance, indicating that rehearsal, when it was used, was equally effective in terms of recall for both groups. Results also indicate that scores on the metamemory test were indeed highly significant predictors of spontaneous rehearsal use across all participants.

The theoretical and practical implications of the present findings are discussed in terms of teaching effective problem-solving strategies to children with autism, and Theory of Mind skills involving awareness of one's own and other people's cognitions.