Verbal, Visual, and Intermediary Support for Child Witnesses with Autism during Investigative Interviews

Springer. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.springerlink.com

Y

15

Autism; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Children; Interviews; Intervention; Memory; Classification; Reinforcement; Foreign Countries; Intelligence Tests; Verbal Ability; Vocabulary; Cognitive Tests; Multiple Regression Analysis; Student Improvement; Outcomes of Education; Questioning Techniques; Recall (Psychology); Accuracy; Questionnaires

10.1007/s10803-017-3142-0

0162-3257

Three promising investigative interview interventions were assessed in 270 children (age 6-11 years): 71 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 199 who were typically developing (TD). Children received "Verbal Labels," "Sketch Reinstatement of Context" or "Registered Intermediary" interviews designed to improve interview performance without decreasing accuracy. Children with ASD showed no increases in the number of correct details recalled for any of the three interview types (compared to a Best-Practice police interview), whereas TD children showed significant improvements in the Registered Intermediary and Verbal Labels interviews. Findings suggested that children with ASD can perform as well as TD children in certain types of investigative interviews, but some expected benefits (e.g., of Registered Intermediaries) were not apparent in this study.

As Provided

52

2017

EJ1148033