Procedural Learning of a Visual Sequence in Individuals With Autism

Implicit sequence learning, as measured using the sequential reaction time (SRT) task paradigm originally introduced by Nissen & Bullemer (1987), has been reported to be impaired in high-functioning individuals with autism (Mostofsky, Goldberg, Landa, & Denckla, 2000). We reasoned that increased exposure to the sequence may particularly benefit individuals with autism, especially those who are lower functioning. Seven individuals with autism participated in six training and test sessions of an eight-length SRT task (Experiment 1), and 5 performed a four-length SRT task (Experiment 2). Sequence learned was demonstrated at a group level on the eight-length sequence, and on an individual basis with the four-length sequence. These data demonstrate that individuals with autism, even those who are lower functioning, are capable of learning an implicit sequence with increased behavioral training. Implications for these findings are discussed.