Describes four experiments in childhood autism used as research examples in areas of cognition and social skills. An hypothesis which attempts to connect various areas of impairment, nemely, lack of imaginative play, lack of expressive gestures, and inability to predict and understand behavior in others is explored through a specific cognitive…

Based on the hypothesis that cognition and sleep are linked, this study compared the sleep patterns of nine children (ages 6-16) with autism with those of children with mental retardation and no disabilities. The children with autism were observed for two consecutive nights at a laboratory where their sleep patterns were recorded. Results found…