Individuals with autistic spectrum disorders are impaired in time-based prospective memory tasks

Background: Prospective memory is defined as the ability to execute previously formed intentions. Individuals with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) often have difficulties to organize and coordinate everyday activities as a result of poor time management, poor preparation and sequencing of actions. Thus, they show deficits with planning ahead and possibly with prospective remembering.

Objectives: Investigate, for the first time, time-based prospective memory performance in children with ASD in comparison to controls.

Methods: Eleven children with ASD and 11 age- and ability- matched typically developing controls participated in the current study. The prospective memory test was embedded in a visuo-spatial working memory test and asked participants to respond to certain target times.

Results: Analyses of variance (ANOVA) revealed that controls had significantly more correct prospective memory responses than individuals with ASD. Moreover, controls checked the time more often and increased time-monitoring more steeply as the target times approached.

Conclusions: Individuals with ASD showed a reduced time-based prospective memory performance in comparison to controls. Time-checking data implies that this performance difference may result from impaired self-initiated processing skills as indicated by reduced task monitoring.