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Biomedical subjects

J Richer

Publications and source records attributed to J Richer.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1976

The social-avoidance behaviour of autistic children.

Direct observation and previous studies suggest autistic children actively avoid social encounters more than normal children, and concommitantly, act as if threatened by the mere proximity or non-threatening approaches of others. A study is reported which supports this. The 'cognitive-language handicap' theory of autism is criticized in the light of these results.

Aggression↗
PubMed1975

Cardiac arrhythmia and behaviour in autistic children.

The behavior and heart rate of autistic children were simultaneously videorecorded in a standard situation. Normal children of two age-groups were also studied. It was found that the heart rate of the autists was characteristically highly variable and more so than that of normal children of the same age or younger. This variability (arrhythmia) however, was behaviour-dependent in all children-involvement in a task resulting in suppresion of the arrhythmia. It was at a maximum in the autists during the performance of stereotyped behaviours. The functional implications of these behaviour-heart rate associations are discussed.

Arrhythmias, Cardiac↗
PubMed1975

Reacting to autistic children: the danger of trying too hard.

Recent work has revealed that autistic children's predominating tendency to avoid social interactions is actually enhanced by the 'friendly' approaches to others. In this study it was recorded on video-tape how eight autistic children reacted to four styles of adult behaviour. The adult reacted to the child's looks at her by (i) smiling, (ii) gaze averting, (iii) gaze averting plus other 'timid' behaviours and (iv) doing nothing except continuing to look back. For this last condition--when the adult did not react--it was found that autistic children showed less avoidance behaviour after eye contact and spent more time within one metre of the adult. The implications for treatment are contrary to much modern practice and to what seems to be adults' 'natural' response. Reactivity by others appears to enhance the child's avoidance, and it is suggested that adults should be circumspect in the degree of sociability with which they respond to autistic children.

Autistic Disorder↗