THE YALE SPECIAL INTERESTS SURVEY: A WEB BASED METHOD FOR ASSESSING SPECIAL INTERESTS IN ASD

Background: Our preliminary work (Klin et al., 2007) demonstrated that persistent unusual and intense interests are common among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), yet limited empirical data exists on how these special interests develop.

Objectives: To collect data and characterize the behaviors associated with special interests in children with ASD through a user-friendly online survey.

Methods: Participants were recruited from the autism program at the Yale Child Study Center. Parents were instructed to complete an online survey about their child’s special interests. The survey was responsive to user input so that parents only viewed questions pertinent to their child’s age group and special interest status.

Results: Initial analyses including children ages 4 to 17 suggest that, across all age groups, children with ASD were most likely to exhibit behaviors involving memorization of facts and talking about their topics of interest. As they matured, children spent increasing amounts of time on their special interests both when alone and with other adults and peers. Parents also reported shifting attitudes toward their child’s interest: parents were initially likely to encourage the child to pursue their topic of interest but, as the interest developed, they were more likely to discourage it. The majority of parents reported that they or other immediate family members share the same topic of interest with their child, suggesting that special interests may serve a social function within families that existing research has overlooked. Data collection remains ongoing and future analyses looking the relationship between special interests and measures of social functioning and language are planned.

Conclusions: Special interests are a critical symptom in high functioning individuals with ASD. Findings from the Yale Special Interests Survey elucidate important developmental issues related to learning style, and suggest that this is an area that deserves increased attention from researchers.