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The focus of the present study was to examine covert orienting responses to peripheral flash cues among children with autism in a situation where attentional processes were taxed by the presence of distractors in the visual field. Fourteen children with autism (MA = 6-7 years) were compared to their MA-matched peers without autism on a forced choice RT covert orienting paradigm. The task conditions varied with regard to the target location, the validity of the cue, and the presence or absence of distractors. The results showed no group differences as both children with autism and their MA-matched peers showed similar effects of cue validity and distractors. These findings are inconsistent with the view that orienting is generally impaired in children with autism.

Conceptual and pragmatic issues relevant to the study of persons with autism are addressed within the context of comparison groups and matching strategies. We argue that no choice of comparison group or matching strategy is perfect, but rather needs to be determined by specific research objectives and theoretical questions. Thus, strategies can differ between studies in which the goal is to delineate developmental profiles and those in which the focus is the study of a specific aspect of functioning. We promote the notion of a "mosaic," rather than a "melting pot," approach to science in which researchers communicate conservative and precise interpretations of empirical findings.