Abstract
Autobiographical memory (AM) is closely linked to the self-concept, and fulfills directive, identity, social, and adaptive functions. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are now known to have atypical AM, which may be closely associated with social communication difficulties. This may result in qualitatively different autobiographical narratives, notably regarding social identity. In the present study, we sought to investigate this concept and develop a cognitive intervention targeting individuals with ASD. First, 13 adolescents with ASD and 13 typically developing adolescents underwent an AM interview featuring an original coding system designed to analyze the social self. We observed that the narratives produced by the ASD group focused more on the family than on extended social spheres, compared with those of the comparison group. Moreover, participants with ASD did not include themselves in the social groups they mentioned, and produced more references to others, compared with typically developing participants. Second, we designed a cognitive intervention program consisting of individual and group sessions that targeted AM. We conducted a pilot study among three adolescents with ASD aged 12, 16, and 17 years. Preliminary results showed that the program increased extra-family narrative references by the two youngest adolescents, who produced more social integration markers. Our study of autobiographical narratives yielded interesting findings about social positioning in ASD and showed how AM can be targeted in rehabilitation programs as a vector of social interaction.
Highlights
The self can be understood through the groups with which individuals identify themselves (Tajfel and Turner, 1979)
We observed a significant difference for the social context focused on the extended circle, where the ASD group produced fewer references than the TD group (U = 26, p = 0.03, η2 = 0.35)
We investigated social identity through the autobiographical narratives of adolescents with ASD compared with TD, and explored how participants categorized themselves within the different social spheres
Summary
The self can be understood through the groups with which individuals identify themselves (Tajfel and Turner, 1979). Turner and Reynolds (2011) postulated that there are three abstraction levels in self-categorization theory. The level concerns the social self, at an interpersonal (i.e., “I am a unique individual compared with others”) or intergroup (i.e., “I define myself as the member of one group relative to another group”) level. The social self level can be divided into three categories: egocentric, intracentric, and allocentric. Egocentric is when the speaker is present but not included in a social group (self-reference; e.g., “I went to the beach with my friend”). Intracentric is when the speaker is included in a social group (inclusive reference; e.g., “We went to the beach with my friend”). Allocentric is when the speaker is not present and not included in a social group (reference to others; e.g., “My friend went to the beach”)
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