Sample

The participants of the study were screened for the presence of Autism Spectrum Disorder. The screening was done either by postgraduate or M. Phil students of the Department of Psychology, who undergo training for the detection and management of autism and allied developmental disabilities. The diagnosis was additionally confirmed by the researcher who is a trained Clinical Psychologist. The screening and/or diagnosis was done using the standard Mayer and Gross format (Klein and Mayer-Gross 1957) for clinical examination, modified and suited to the clinical setting under consideration and using the criteria laid down by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual version IV (DSM IV, APA, 1994). The children with LFA who were the participants of the study were selected from two sources: (i) The Department of Psychology, University of Calcutta; children who are regularly referred to the department by Government Hospitals and private practitioners for psychological assessment; which forms a part of the practical curricula for post graduate students pursuing Clinical or Developmental Psychology and M. Phil students and (ii) Pradip Centre for Autism Management; a non-government, non-profit organization in Kolkata that provides special education and intervention to children with developmental disabilities. The Autism Diagnostic Checklist (Banerjee 2007) was used to substantiate the diagnosis and to have an index of the level of autistic features. All the child participants in the study belonged to the category Mild to Moderate Level of Autism.