Psychological Development and Education ›› 2024, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (4): 589-600.doi: 10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2024.04.13

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Influencing Factors and Strategies to Improve Prospective Memory in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

XIN Cong1, ZHANG Manman2   

  1. 1. School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210097;
    2. School of Psychology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117
  • Published:2024-08-27

Abstract: Prospective memory (PM) refers to the ability to remember to perform an intended action in the future. PM is an essential aspect of children's development of independence. Further, a well-developed PM is beneficial to their future growth and development. Previous studies have found impairments in time-based PM in children with autism spectrum disorder; however, it is controversial whether event-based PM is impaired. PM performance of children with autism is influenced by three factors: difference of PM tasks (PM types and cue characteristics), ongoing tasks (cognitive load and task types), and individual characteristics (age, severity of autism symptoms, and motivation). Therefore, we suggest strategies related to improving PM in children with autism spectrum disorder, including external reminders, encoding strategy, and Say-Do training. Future research needs to enhance the understanding of PM in children with autism spectrum disorder. First, research methods need to be improved to increase the comprehensive analysis of multiple PM types in the same sample. The selection of task paradigms needs to be closer to daily life and combined with a one-sample design or multiple baseline design based on between-group analysis to explore PM in children with autism spectrum disorder comprehensively. Moreover, there is a need to focus on sample matching, especially regarding gender, age, intelligence, severity of autism symptoms, and motivation. Second, the various processing stages of PM can be separated by techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging and functional near-infrared spectroscopy, to understand which stages of executive function play a role in PM; thus, revealing the cognitive mechanisms underlying impaired PM in children with autism spectrum disorder. Finally, strategies to improve the PM of children with autism can be further developed.

Key words: autism spectrum disorder, children, prospective memory

CLC Number: 

  • B844
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