Delayed Self-Recognition in Children with Autistic Disorder and Asperger's Disorder: Evidence for a Temporally Extended Self

Background: While clear evidence exists for the ability of children with autism to recognize themselves in real time, assessed via mirror self-recognition, little is known of their ability to recognize themselves over time. Temporal self awareness, as assessed via the delayed self-recognition (DSR) task, has been postulated to be associated with the ability to metarepresent. This ability, assessed using standard false belief tasks, is characteristically impaired in children with Autistic Disorder. However, those with Asperger’s Disorder are more able to pass false belief tests.

Objectives: The objective in the two studies reported here was to explore delayed self recognition in children with Autistic Disorder and Asperger’s Disorder relative to one another and to their typically developing peers. A secondary aim was to establish whether performance on DSR was related to the ability to pass false belief tasks. Children’s affective response to their marked image was also explored to distinguish between ‘physical’ and ‘psychological’ self awareness. 

Methods: Three groups of male children aged between 5- to 9-years comprising 15 children with high functioning Autistic Disorder (HFAD), 12 children with Asperger’s Disorder (AspD), and 15 typically developing (TD) children, participated in Study 1. Study 2 included younger children aged 4- to 7-years (18 HFAD and 18 TD). All children participated in a self recognition mark test using delayed video feedback, and a test of false belief. Affective responses displayed by the children when viewing the marked video image of themselves was also coded. Results: Children with HFAD, AspD and the TD children were equally able to use delayed video feedback to recognise themselves, independent of their performance on the test false belief, and their ability to use personal pronouns. Furthermore, no differences were found in their affective responses to their marked video image.

Conclusions: The results cast doubt on the proposed metarepresentational basis for the development of a temporally extended self, with children in all groups showing intact self recognition. Despite some deficits in false belief understanding and the use of pronouns, the children with HFAD were able to not only show delayed self recognition but they also showed positive affect when confronted with their marked image, as did the TD children indicating a level of psychological, in addition to physical, self awareness. Moreover, the finding that children with AspD and HFAD performed similarly on the DSR task adds to the increasing evidence that these conditions are not distinct diagnostic entities.