Memory Systems in Autism
Both my friend and I have asperger’s syndrome a form of autism. As you may know, no two people with autism are the same just like no two people without autism are the same.
One trait of autism is an amazing memory for facts and information, we can have a brain full of facts and big chunks of information, not always relevant I might add yet we can’t put it all together correctly in the brain.
This is called rote memory. The ability to photograph facts and bits of information which you hear or read. This can also be known as auditory memory. Another trait of autism is to have excellent semantic memory which is the extraordinary ability to remember words and language. Eg. New names of things or people. This semantic memory goes along with those who have the extraordinary rote memory which I have. My autism has blessed me with an extraordinary rote and semantic and autobiographical memory. That is the memory for events and when they happened sometimes down to the exact date.
Various brain systems
In the brain there are various memory systems such as the ones I just mentioned. Rote, semantic and autobiographical. There is also the common two memory systems that everyone knows which are long-term and short-term. There is also a memory system known as executive function or working memory which is governed by the frontal lobes. In asperger’s this is generally the one that fails. At least it does with me. Executive function involves the ability to process and remember the number of steps to learning a new skill. The ability to remember sequences in the abstract such as in my case, a mobility route. My friend who came to Australia just recently doesn’t have the ability to remember lots of facts by rote but she is very good at remembering the steps to a process and finding her way around. While my friend was out here in Australia for example, we went to the Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo. One of my carers who works there kindly took us both around giving us stacks of factual information. I was able to remember the majority of the facts I was taught, and found it very interesting. It was a little disappointing in the sense that neither my friend nor I could touch any of the animals or hear any sounds. Nevertheless for me, the information overrode that aspect and I still remember most of it. My friend’s brain works a little differently in that whilst she did not remember a lot of the information given to her, she remembers very well the people we saw on the trip and the events and the extraordinary kindness of my carer.
A perfect example
This is a perfect example of how both of us have autism and our brains are wired very similarly yet there are still some differences in which memory systems work best in the two of us. If you gave me a whole string of facts say about the brain which is my special interest, I could rattle off 85 percent of it. But tell me the directions to a mobility route and which way to turn where and what to look for and I’m very lucky if I can repeat two sentences back to you. With me it’s the executive function such as learning the steps to a new skill that is faulty, not the rote memory for learning straight facts and knowledge. That is the difference. My friend does have difficulty with executive function to a point but it seems to be better than mine despite being older than me. My friend’s memory relies more on people and events that happen rather than facts and I do have to add my friend is very good at exploring. If you asked my friend to repeat a simple made up mobility route back to you that could be done fairly well. But with me that’s where I would struggle. Because my memory strength is my rote memory for facts and my semantic auditory memory. This also explains why I am very proficient at remembering song lyrics even ones that are not in English. When we were out at the zoo I found all the information so interesting I went home and wrote it all down. But for my friend all that was quite overwhelming and there was a lot of getting in and out of a car which became quite tiresome. However, the main memory of that day for my friend was the sheer kindness of my carer and the fact that she was good enough to do it.
So to conclude with, no two people with autism are the same. While my friend and I are similar in brain wiring and extremely close as friends, we both rely differently on some of our memory systems. We have been friends for quite a while and we will always be friends.