Abstract
This study investigated the mirror self-recognition of autistic adolescents (n=35) in comparison with that of normal preschool children (n=51). The participants took part in an initial "mark test" condition whereby a mark was put on the nose of the participant, who then had the opportunity to react to the mark by looking at a mirror, and then in 3 experimental conditions in which the experimenter invited the participant to touch the marks on his/her nose. Autistic adolescents touched the marks on their noses less spontaneously than did normally developing children; this was particularly notable for those with special developmental features. Autistic adolescents, like normal preschool children, showed confusion at the sight of the mark, but it was relatively more difficult for the autistic adolescents to communicate their confusion to the experimenter. The results were discussed in terms of self-recognition and communication among adolescents with autism.
