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Systemizing in autism spectrum conditions
 Simon Baron-Cohen, John Lawson, Sally Wheelwright, Jaclyn Billington, Ofer Golan
The ARC was the first group to suggest a link between autistic traits, familial autism risk, and talent at systemizing. Systemizing is the drive to analyse or construct a system. A system is anything that follows rules and is thus lawful. It might be a mechanical system (e.g., a machine or a spinning wheel), an abstract system (e.g., number patterns), a natural system (e.g., water flow, or the weather), or a collectible system (e.g., classifying objects such as DVDs by author or toy cars by shape, colour, size). We have found that people with autism or Asperger Syndrome may have unusual talents at systemizing (e.g., in physics), that people who are gifted mathematicians may be more likely to have a diagnosis of autism or Asperger Syndrome, that even among the low-functioning individuals with classic autism, 'obsessional' narrow interests tend to focus on systems, and that their excessively repetitive behaviour and interest may be signs of strong systemizing. We are developing new tests of systemizing, both performance tests and questionnaires such as the Systemizing Quotient (SQ), with different versions for different age groups. Although a psychological construct, we are correlating individual differences in systemizing with brain activity using fMRI, genetic polymorphisms, and prenatal hormonal levels. We are also testing aspects of systemizing, such as excellent attention to detail, in first-degree family members, as a measure of the broader autism phenotype. We are examining the relationship between local processing and systemizing. Finally, we are using the intact or even superior systemizing in autism or Asperger Syndrome to promote learning of empathy.
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References:
217
J. Lawson, S. Baron-Cohen and S. Wheelwright, (2004)
Empathising and systemising in adults with and without Asperger Syndrome
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 34:301-310
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207
S. Baron-Cohen, J. Richler, D. Bisarya, N. Gurunathan and S. Wheelwright, (2003)
The Systemising Quotient (SQ): An investigation of adults with Asperger Syndrome or High Functioning Autism and normal sex differences
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Series B, Special issue on "Autism: Mind and Brain" 358:361-374
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158
S. Baron-Cohen, S. Wheelwright, V. Scahill, J. Lawson and A. Spong, (2001)
Are intuitive physics and intuitive psychology independent?
Journal of Developmental and Learning Disorders 5:47-78
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101
S. Baron-Cohen and J. Hammer, (1997)
Parents of children with Asperger Syndrome: what is the cognitive phenotype?
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 9:548-554
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88
T. Jolliffe and S. Baron-Cohen, (1997)
Are people with autism or Asperger's Syndrome faster than normal on the Embedded Figures Task?
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 38:527-534
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