ArticlePloS one2018
What interests young autistic children? An exploratory study of object exploration and repetitive behavior.
Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 39 citations in OpenAlex.
- Restricted and repetitive behavior in children with autism during the first three years of life: A systematic review.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Pooled it
- Early manifestations of unexpected bilingualism in minimally verbal autism.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2026Article
- Asymmetric developmental bifurcations in polarized environments: a new class of human variants, which may include autism.Molecular psychiatry · 2025Review
- Addictive-like behavioural traits in pet dogs with extreme motivation for toy play.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Back to Actual Behavior - A Modest Proposal on the Example of Exploratory Behavior in Children on the Autism Spectrum.Integrative psychological & behavioral science · 2024Review
- Do focused interests support word learning? A study with autistic and nonautistic children.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2024Article
- Psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in children with autism spectrum disorder - a literature review.International journal of developmental disabilities · 2024Review
- Lower Risk of Burn Injury in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2023Article
- Positive, negative, neutral-or unknown? The perceived valence of emotions expressed by young autistic children in a novel context suited to autism.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2022Article
- Experience of Autistic Children and Their Families During the Pandemic: From Distress to Coping Strategies.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2022Article
- Article
- Searching for What Really Matters: A Thematic Analysis of Quality of Life among Preschool Children on the Autism Spectrum.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2022Article
- Measuring the Emergence of Specific Abilities in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Example of Early Hyperlexic Traits.Brain sciences · 2021Article
- Autism-ness Does Not Exist, but Autism Does, Part 2: The Perception-Language Chimera Model Accounts for the Nature, Chronology, and Interrelation of Autistic Signs.Autism & developmental language impairmentsArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Behaviors characterized as restricted and repetitive (RRBs) in autism manifest in diverse ways, from motor mannerisms to intense interests, and are diagnostically defined as interfering with functioning. A variety of early autism interventions target RRBs as preoccupying young autistic children to the detriment of exploration and learning opportunities. In an exploratory study, we developed a novel stimulating play situation including objects of potential interest to autistic children, then investigated repetitive behaviors and object explorations in 49 autistic and 43 age-matched typical young children (20-69 months). Autistic children displayed significantly increased overall frequency and duration of repetitive behaviors, as well as increased specific repetitive behaviors. However, groups did not significantly differ in frequency and duration of overall object explorations, in number of different objects explored, or in explorations of specific objects. Exploratory analyses found similar or greater exploration of literacy-related objects in autistic compared to typical children. Correlations between repetitive behaviors and object explorations (their frequency and duration) revealed positive, not negative, associations in both groups. Our findings, from a novel situation incorporating potential autistic interests, suggest that RRBs do not necessarily displace exploration and its possibilities for learning in autism.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.