Actors portray 'real world' situations to highlight subtle social interactions

Researchers from Australia and the UK have developed a new screening system to give researchers and clinicians working with autistic adults ‘real life’ insights into social interactions.

“The value of this tool is that it provides a brief, reliable and valid tool to detect deficits in perspective taking among adults,” said Emeritus Professor Neil Brewer from Flinders University in Adelaide.

The tool includes a series of videos expanding on previously used assessment methods using pen-and-paper responses. The movie clips, scripted and filmed at Flinders expand on previous theory of mind (ToM) Strange Stories test items, which provide a means of testing responses from higher-functioning children and adults, said Professor Robyn Young from Flinders. “Played out in real time, this series gives participants an opportunity to respond to subtle social inferences as certain events and interactions unfold.”

Trialling the assessment tool, researchers used a simple questionnaire and series of short clips to test reactions and responses from about 100 people diagnosed with autism, autism spectrum disorder or Asperger syndrome, and a sample of non-autistic adults matched for verbal abilities. The research showed that limitations in drawing the appropriate inferences from these stimuli is predictive of individuals’ social-behavioural and interpersonal interaction difficulties. It’s quick to use and score, researchers said, highlighting individuals’ perspective-taking difficulties which may affect their social interactions.

The full study was published by the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.