UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Diane Williams, head of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Penn State, is author of a chapter in The Wiley Handbook of Memory, Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Law, released in July.

Williams authored the chapter, “Executive Function and Complex Processing Models,” which describes the challenges individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have with autobiographical memory. 

“These challenges are explained using an information processing model of thinking—how the brain handles incoming and outgoing information,” Williams said. “The chapter discusses the implications of the problems with memory and information processing when individuals with ASD interact with representatives of the legal system.”

The book, edited by Jonni Johnson, Gail Goodman and Peter Mundy, all of the University of California, Davis, examines how autobiographical memory operates in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder and provides insights into current challenges faced by legal professionals, forensic psychologists, clinicians and others who provide services to those with ASD.