A developmental psychopathology perspective on autobiographical memory in autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a condition defined along a continuum of socio-communicative difficulties, is associated with unique patterns of memory functioning including difficulties with autobiographical memory (AM). AM refers to memory for information related to the self and personally experienced events and has a strong social function. The current paper reviews empirical studies assessing AM among individuals with ASD across the lifespan. Results support that both children and adults with ASD manifest AM difficulties characterized by (a) reduced specificity, (b) less elaborated and detailed AM narratives, (c) lower AM coherence, and (d) increased reliance on scaffolding for retrieval. Individuals with ASD also demonstrate intact AM for certain memory indices and show evidence of using compensatory strategies to facilitate retrieval. Results are interpreted in relation to models of typically developing AM and broad memory theory, as well as models of information processing specific to ASD. To advance knowledge of how AM develops within the context of ASD, a developmental psychopathology perspective is applied to the consideration of candidate processes underlying developing AM among individuals with ASD. Future research should consider support for mechanisms that promote AM performance at multiple ecological levels. Limitations, clinical implications for intervention, and future directions are discussed.