Abstract
The observation that language disorders constitute a major symptom of early infantile autism has led some researchers to speculate that the autistic syndrome may be a result of brain damage to the left hemisphere. Such speculation has fostered a number of studies in which attempts have been made to link autism with ostensibly positive signs of left hemisphere damage, such as left-handedness and preferences for “right hemisphere” functional and cognitive activities. In the present review, contributions to this area are systematically reviewed. Studies attempting to demonstrate that an unusually high incidence of left-handedness occurs in autistic samples are examined. Functional and morphological studies examining patterns of asymmetry in autistic samples are reviewed. It is shown that most studies on handedness fail to account adequately for the role that age of subjects may play in the manifestation of left-handedness. A simple cause-and-effect model of abnormal cerebral asymmetry and autism is rejected in favor of a more integrative yet parsimonious model that specifically attempts to explain the language disorder common to autism.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Annett, M. The growth of manual preference and speed.British Journal of Psychology, 1970,61, 554–558.
Baker, L., Cantwell, D. P., Rutter, M., & Bartak, L. Language and autism. In E. R. Ritvo (Ed.) & B. J. Freeman, E. M. Ornitiz, & P. E. Tanguay (Co-Eds.),Autism: Diagnosis, current research and management. New York: Spectrum, 1976.
Balthazar, E. E., & Morrison, D. H. The use of Wechsler intelligence scales as diagnostic indicators of predominant left-right and indeterminate unilateral brain damage.Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1961,17, 161–165.
Barry, R. J., & James, A. L. Handedness in autistics, retardates, and normals of a wide range.Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia, 1978,8, 315–323.
Bartak, L., Rutter, M., & Cox, A. A comparative study of infantile autism and specific developmental language disorder: I. The children.British Journal of Psychiatry, 1975,126, 127–145.
Blackstock, E. G. Cerebral asymmetry and the development of early infantile autism.Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia, 1978,8, 339–353.
Boucher, J. Hand preference in autistic children and their parents.Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia, 1977,7, 177–187.
Colby, K. M., & Kraemer, H. C. An objective measure of nonspeaking children's performance with a computer-controlled program for the stimulation of language behavior.Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia, 1975,5, 139–146.
Colby, K. M., & Parkinson, C. Handedness in autistic children.Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia, 1977,7, 3–9.
Damasio, H., Maurer, R. G., Damasio, A. R., & Chui, H. C. Computerized tomographic scan findings in patients with autistic behavior.Archives of Neurology, 1980,37, 504–510.
DeMyer, M. K. Motor, perceptual-motor and intellectual disabilities of autistic children. In L. Wing (Ed.),Early childhood autism. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1976.
Dennerll, R. D. Prediction of unilateral brain dysfunction using Wechsler test scores.Journal of Consulting Psychology, 1964,28, 278–284.
Gesell, A., & Ames, B. L. The development of handedness.Journal of Genetic Psychology, 1947,70, 155–175.
Hardyck, L., & Petrinovich, L. F. Left-handedness.Psychological Bulletin, 1977,84, 385–404.
Hauser, S. L., DeLong, G. R., & Rosman, N. P. Pneumographic findings in the infantile autism syndrome.Brain, 1975,98, 667–688.
Hicks, R. E., & Barton, A. K. A note on left-handedness and severity of mental retardation.Journal of Genetic Psychology, 1975,127, 323–324.
Hicks, R. E., & Kinsbourne, M. Human handedness. In M. Kinsbourne (Ed.),Asymmetrical function of the brain. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1978.
Hier, D. B., LeMay, M., & Rosenberger, P. B. Autism and unfavorable left-right asymmetries of the brain.Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 1979,9, 153–159.
Hiscock, M., & Kinsbourne, M. Selective listening asymmetry in preschool children.Developmental Psychology, 1977,13, 217–224.
Kimura, D. Cerebral dominance and the perception of verbal stimuli.Canadian Journal of Psychology, 1961,15, 166–171.
Kimura, D. Functional asymmetry of the brain in dichotic listening.Cortex, 1967,3, 163–178.
Kinsbourne, M. Cerebral dominance, learning, and cognition. In H. R. Myklebust (Ed.),Progress in learning disabilities (Vol. 3). New York: Grune and Stratton, 1975. (a)
Kinsbourne, M. The ontogeny of cerebral dominance. In D. R. Aaronson & R. W. Rieber (Eds.),Developmental psycholinguistics and communication disorders. New York: New York Academy of Sciences, 1975. (b)
Lockyer, L., & Rutter, M. A five- to fifteen-year follow-up study of infantile psychosis: IV. Patterns of cognitive ability.British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 1970,9, 152–163.
Oldfield, R. C. The assessment and analysis of handedness: The Edinburgh Handedness Inventory.Neuropsychologia, 1971,9, 97–113.
Parsons, O. A., Vega, A., & Burn, J. Different psychological effects of lateralized brain damage.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1969,33, 551–557.
Prior, M. R., & Bradshaw, J. L. Hemisphere functioning in autistic children.Cortex, 1979,15, 73–81.
Ricks, D. M., & Wing, L. Language, communication, and the use of symbols. In L. Wing (Ed.),Early childhood autism. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1976.
Rutter, M. The development of infantile autism.Psychological Medicine, 1974,4, 147–163.
Rutter, M. Diagnosis and definition of childhood autism.Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia, 1978,8, 139–161. (a)
Rutter, M. Language disorder and infantile autism. In M. Rutter & E. Schopler (Eds.),Autism: A reappraisal of concepts and treatment. New York: Plenum Press, 1978. (b)
Rutter, M., & Bartak, L. Causes of infantile autism: Some considerations from recent research.Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia, 1971,1, 20–32.
Satz, P. Left-handedness and early brain insult: An explanation.Neuropsychologia, 1973,11, 115–117.
Satz, P., Richard, W., & Daniels, A. The alteration of intellectual performance after lateralized brain injury in men.Psychonomic Science, 1967,7, 369–370.
Small, J. EEG and neurophysiological studies of early infantile autism.Biological Psychiatry, 1975,10, 385–397.
Student, M., & Sohmer, H. Evidence from auditory nerve and brainstem evoked responses for on organic brain lesion in children with autistic traits.Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia, 1978,8, 13–20.
Tanguay, P. Clinical and electrophysiological research. In E. Ritvo (Ed.) & B. J. Freeman, E. M. Ornitz, & P. E. Tanguay (Co-Eds.),Autism: Diagnosis, current research and management. New York: Spectrum, 1976.
Tanguay, P. E. Early infantile autism and mental retardation. In L. S. Szymansky & P. E. Tanguay (Eds.),Emotional disorders of mentally retarded persons. Baltimore: University Park Press, 1980.
Vega, A., & Parsons, O. A. Relationship between sensory-motor deficits and WAIS verbal and performance scores in unilateral brain damage.Cortex, 1969,5, 229–241.
Williams, R. S., Hauser, S. L., Purpura, D., DeLong, R., & Swisher, C. N. Autism and Mental retardation: Neuropathological studies performed in four retarded persons with autistic behaviorArchives of Neurology, 1980,37, 749–753.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Preparation of this paper was facilitated by Grant MH 15847 from the National Institute of Mental Health. The author wishes to express appreciation to Sandra L. Harris for her valuable suggestions on several drafts of this manuscript.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
McCann, B.S. Hemispheric asymmetries and early infantile autism. J Autism Dev Disord 11, 401–411 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01531615
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01531615