Why are old skills forgotten when new skills are learned in Autism?

In individuals with autism, forgetting or difficulty recalling older skills when learning new ones can be due to a combination of factors related to cognitive and developmental differences. Some key reasons include:

1. Attention and Focus Challenges: Autism is often associated with differences in attention regulation. Some individuals may have difficulty shifting attention between different tasks or concepts. When they focus intensely on learning new skills, they may not prioritize or retain the older skills, especially if those skills are not used frequently or in a way that keeps them salient in the person’s mind.
2. Memory Processing Differences: Autism can involve unique patterns of memory processing. Some individuals may rely more heavily on certain types of memory, like procedural or visual memory, and struggle with others, like episodic or verbal memory. When they learn new skills, the encoding of new information may sometimes “overwrite” older memories, or they may have difficulty retrieving previously learned skills in a new context.
3. Difficulty with Generalization: Many people with autism find it challenging to generalize skills learned in one context to another. For example, a child might learn a particular social skill at home but may not be able to apply it in a school setting. This lack of generalization can make older skills feel forgotten or irrelevant when new skills are being learned in different environments.
4. Overloading Cognitive Resources: Learning new skills requires cognitive effort, and in some cases, individuals with autism may become overwhelmed or fatigued more easily when acquiring new information. This cognitive overload can reduce the capacity to retain or retrieve previously learned skills.
5. Repetitive Behavior and Routines: Some individuals with autism have a preference for routines or repetitive behaviors, which can lead to a focus on certain skills or activities while neglecting others. As new interests or routines emerge, older skills may be neglected or not practiced as much, leading to difficulties in recalling them.
6. Sensory Processing: Sensory processing differences are common in autism, and these differences can affect the ability to process or integrate new skills. If sensory inputs related to new skills are overwhelming or difficult to process, older skills may seem “forgotten” because the individual is not able to focus on them in the same way.
7. Cognitive Rigidity: Cognitive rigidity, which is common in autism, refers to a difficulty adapting to change or shifting between tasks. When learning new skills, some individuals may become so focused on mastering the new skill that they have difficulty transitioning back to using older ones. This can create the impression that the old skills have been forgotten.

These challenges are not uniform across all individuals with autism, and some may have better abilities to retain older skills while learning new ones. However, strategies such as reinforcing and revisiting old skills, practicing generalization, and providing support in managing attention and memory can help improve retention and integration of both old and new skills.