Thesis (Ph. D. in Psychology)--Vanderbilt University, Dec. 2007. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, 2007. / Title from title screen (viewed Aug. 1, 2007). Includes papers co-authored by author. Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney. Includes bibliography. Also issued in print.

Thesis--Catholic University of America. / Bibliography: p. 36-39.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Canterbury, 2008. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 356-415). Also available via the World Wide Web.

published_or_final_version / Literary and Cultural Studies / Master / Master of Arts

Over a hundred adults, aged 16 to 65, were referred to the author by psychiatric colleagues in response to a request for possible research subjects for a study of eccentricity and social isolation not attributable to psychosis. Reliable scales for rating odd non-verbal expression, odd speech, other abnormalities of social interaction, unusual interests, clumsiness, schizoid personality characteristics and childhood abnormalities were developed and used for rating 60 of these referrals, the subjects of the present thesis. Multivariate analysis of retrospective developmental and current assessments confirmed Wing and Gould's (1979) finding that a triad of impairments in communication, social interaction and imagination were commonly associated. The subjects with a history of the triad retained the same symptoms in adulthood: the triad being then characterised by oddities of non-verbal expression, gaucheness and other disruptions of normal social interaction and unusual interests and pre-occupations. The clinical picture in these subjects was identical to that described in "near-normal" autistic adults or in children and adults with autistic personality disorder, and a diagnosis of 'adult autism' was made in 46 out of the 60 subjects. On the basis of a systematic comparison of the autistic and the non-autistic subjects, including two experimental tests of the interpretation of non-verbal cues, it is suggested that a disorder of non-verbal communication is a basic handicap in autism. 1

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