Memory for recent events in autistic children.

An experiment is reported in which autistic children's memory for recent events was compared with that of normal age-matched and retarded age-and ability-matched controls. The autistic subjects' recall was significantly inferior to that of normal controls. Recent event memory correlated with a language measure in the autistic group and with a nonverbal measure in the retarded control group. These findings are discussed in terms of relationships between language and memory, and possible mechanisms underlying the distinctive pattern of memory ability and disability that occurs in autism.