Learning from mistakesI found out about this research from 2008 in the Norwegian equivalent of Ladies Home Journal, of all places. Researchers in the Netherlands used "functional MRI" technology to watch how NT people's brains react when they get negative feedback. It showed that 8-9 year olds don't benefit from this feedback at all. They just don't have the ability to analyze the mistake and change strategy. Kids that were 11-13 years old were somewhat able to make use of that feedback, but adults (18-25 years old) were much better at it -- the scan showed activation of the relevant areas in their brain, giving us a glimpse of the thought process which can't always be seen through behavior. At a Norwegian autism seminar, I once heard that people with autism don't learn by trial and error, they just learn that they are error-prone. This research from the Netherlands, even though it didn't involve people with autism, makes me think that this particular brain function is yet another area of developmental delay. Here's a link to the Journal of Neuroscience article (in English of course): I think this is why so many people with autism struggle with what RDI called 'competency'. It's believed that many difficulties, such as meltdowns and behavioral challenges come from the person's struggle with feelings of incompetency, but lacking understanding that they can often remedy their situations or learn to. I have to work hard on this one my my dd. Thanks for posting. NM,Watching my son this year I'd say this research is valid, he just turned turned 22 and is MUCH better at receiving fairly blunt,to the point feedback. I try to always be positive with him, when I must use direct feedback I also show him very patiently what must be done to correct the error. However,I always point out to him that sometimes, at a job that a boss won't always do this and that often feedback can be negative and carry the unspoken expectation that the worker will do whatever research needed to fix their errors. |
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