Central coherence is the ability to perceive, process and integrate incoming information to put it in the right context and give it meaning. Central coherence is an important skill that aids people...Show moreCentral coherence is the ability to perceive, process and integrate incoming information to put it in the right context and give it meaning. Central coherence is an important skill that aids people in understanding situations they encounter in daily life but is also an important skill to support the process of learning. After all, new information has to be processed, organised and integrated, taking into account overall context and meaning. Research into autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the past 4 decades has provided multiple findings that indicate that people with ASD have weak central coherence skills and therefore lack the ability to create meaningful or coherent wholes, but research findings have been mixed. In this study a process-oriented dynamic version of the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF), in which the training part was built up according to the ‘graduated prompts’ method, was used to measure and train central coherence. Furthermore, the potential relationship between ASD characteristics of the children in this study and central coherence or improved central coherence following training was assessed. The participants in this study consisted of 49 pupils in grade 5 or 6 of regular Dutch primary school education (M = 8.96 years, SD = .76 years). The dynamic test, including training based on the ‘graduated prompts’ method, lead to significantly more progression in structuring the drawing of the complex figure compared to the unguided control group. Regarding a potential relationship between ASD characteristics and central coherence or improved central coherence, no relationship was found in this study.Show less
