Schema Development in Individuals with Autism: A Review of the Literature

The purpose of this article was to synthesize the available research regarding the development of complex schemata in individuals with autism across its entire developmental process beginning with prototype formation, followed by categorization, and finally the development of schema. Specific research questions addressed the quality of research across all available studies, characteristics of participants, and whether a difference exists in the ability of individuals with autism to form schema as it relates to all three steps of the developmental process. Through a search of articles published between 1980 and 2018, 23 articles were identified, and results indicated a difference in individuals with autism as compared to typically developing controls, with the most mixed results occurring in prototype research. Implications for future research are discussed.