ERIC Number: EJ1141505
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Jun
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0162-3257
EISSN: N/A
Expressive Incoherence and Alexithymia in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Costa, Andreia P.; Steffgen, Georges; Samson, Andrea C.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, v47 n6 p1659-1672 Jun 2017
Expressive incoherence can be implicated in socio-emotional communicative problems in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The present study examined expressive incoherence in 37 children with ASD and 41 typically developing (TD) children aged 3-13 years old during a frustration task. The role of alexithymia in expressive incoherence was also assessed. Compared to TD children, children with ASD had higher expressive incoherence, such as more neutral and positive emotion expressions during negative behaviors, but not in the expression of negative emotions during positive behaviors. Further analyses revealed that alexithymia moderated the expressions of positive emotions during negative behaviors. These results suggest that children with ASD may benefit from interventions targeting alexithymia to increase emotional coherence, which may improve socio-emotional communication.
Descriptors: Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Autism, Emotional Response, Emotional Problems, Children, Emotional Experience, Communication Problems
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A