Previous research has found few quantitative differences between children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and well-matched controls in the length, complexity, and structure of their narratives. Researchers have noted, however, that narratives of children with ASDs have an unusual and idiosyncratic nature. This study provides an analysis of narratives in 17 children with high-functioning ASDs and 17 typically developing children matched on age, gender, language abilities, and cognitive abilities. We examined story recall and narrative coherence. The study revealed no group differences in story length or syntactic complexity. Children with ASDs also did not differ from controls in their use of the gist of a story to aid recall, or in their sensitivity to the importance of story events. Children with ASDs did, however, produce narratives that were significantly less coherent than the narratives of controls. Children with ASDs appeared less likely to use the gist of the story to organize their narratives coherently. These findings are discussed with regard to their relationship to other cognitive and linguistic difficulties of children with ASDs.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This research was supported by NIH P01 HD35466 grant, a Collaborative Program of Excellence in Autism. We thank Melissa Dupere for her help with coding. We also thank the families who participated in this research.
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APPENDIX A: ORIGINAL VERBAL STORY
APPENDIX A: ORIGINAL VERBAL STORY
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1.
There once was a boy named Tom
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2.
Who had a pet frog
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3.
He kept it in a large jar
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4.
One night while he and his dog were sleeping
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5.
The frog climbed out of the jar
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6.
He leapt through an open window
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7.
When Tom woke up
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8.
He leaned over his bed
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9.
To say good morning to the frog
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10.
But the frog was gone
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11.
Tom looked everywhere for the frog
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12.
And the dog looked for him too
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13.
Tom called out the window
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14.
When the dog looked in the jar
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15.
He got his head caught
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16.
And so when he leaned out the window
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17.
The heavy jar made him fall
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(a)
the dog fell out the window
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(b)
the heavy jar made him fall
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18.
And the jar broke
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19.
Tom picked him up
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20.
To see if he was okay
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21.
And the dog licked him
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22.
For being so nice
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23.
All day long Tom called for the frog
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24.
He called down holes
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25.
But Gopher got angry at Tom
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26.
for disturbing him
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27.
And while Tom was calling for the frog in a tree hole
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28.
The dog was getting into more trouble
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29.
He barked at some bees
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30.
And jumped at a tree where their bees nest was hanging
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31.
And the bee's nest fell down
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32.
The angry bees chased the dog
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33.
And an angry owl came out of the tree hole
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34.
To scold Tom
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35.
It scared him
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36.
The owl screeched at him
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37.
To stay away from his home
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38.
Next Tom climbed a big rock
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39.
And called again
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40.
He leaned on some branches
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41.
To see better
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42.
But the branches began to move
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43.
And carry him into the air
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44.
They weren't branches
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45.
They were a deer's antlers
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46.
And the deer ran with Tom on his head
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47.
The dog ran along too
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48.
Barking at the deer
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49.
The deer stopped quickly at the edge of a cliff
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50.
And threw Tom over the edge
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51.
And he and the dog fell into a pond
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52.
Suddenly they both heard something
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53.
It was a croaking sound
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54.
And they smiled
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55.
Tom told the dog to be quiet
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56.
And they both crept up
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57.
And looked behind a dead tree
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58.
There was his frog
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59.
Sitting proudly with a mother frog
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60.
And they had eight babies
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61.
One of the baby frogs leaped forward
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62.
To greet him
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63.
He liked Tom
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64.
And Tom liked him
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65.
So Tom took the baby frog home
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66.
To be his new pet
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67.
And he waved goodbye to his old frog
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68.
Who now had a family to take care of.
Note. Item 17 is divided into two separate events: the dog falls out the window (17a), the jar caused him to fall (17b). Therefore, with both events counted, there are 69 total events.
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Diehl, J.J., Bennetto, L. & Young, E.C. Story Recall and Narrative Coherence of High-Functioning Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Abnorm Child Psychol 34, 83–98 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-005-9003-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-005-9003-x