Early Forms of Relatedness in Autism: A Longitudinal Clinical and Quantitative Single-Case Study

Abstract

The aim of this single-case study was to identify early forms of interpersonal relatedness in a child with autism and to examine changes in these forms over a period of 3 years. The child was videotaped in a standard therapeutic setting with a clinician. Observations made by the clinician were accompanied by quantitative data drawn from videotaped recordings. Both sources highlighted an increase in dyadic forms of relating. There was no conclusive evidence for change in the level of triadic relating. The authors discuss the need to distinguish between deviant and delayed functioning and the importance of assessing the exact level of developmental delay in social relatedness. Attention to these areas promises a more precise definition of the social deficit in autism and may serve as a means to investigate its ‘mutability’.