Decreased Spontaneous Attention to Social Scenes in 6-Month-Old Infants Later Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders
TL;DR: Prodromal symptoms of ASD at 6 months include a diminished ability to attend spontaneously to people and their activities, which is likely to have a detrimental impact on the specialization of social brain networks and the emergence of social interaction patterns.
About: This article is published in Biological Psychiatry.The article was published on 2013-08-01 and is currently open access. It has received 470 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Autism & Social cognition.
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TL;DR: Examinations of the neurobiological underpinnings of empathy reveal important quantitative gender differences in the basic networks involved in affective and cognitive forms of empathy, as well as a qualitative divergence between the sexes in how emotional information is integrated to support decision making processes.
622 citations
TL;DR: Prospective studies of infants at familial risk are characterizing developmental pathways to ASD and early neurocognitive markers include atypical neural response to gaze and slowed disengagement.
465 citations
TL;DR: Results show that social orienting is actually not qualitatively impaired and that decreased attention to faces does not generalized across contexts.
356 citations
Cites background from "Decreased Spontaneous Attention to ..."
...interacting partner (engaging in a childhood game, reciting a nursery rhyme, or providing direct bids for dyadic engagement) do not predict clinical outcomes (Chawarska et al., 2013; Elsabbagh et al., 2013a; Merin et al., 2007; Shic et al., 2014; Young et al., 2009)....
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...(Chawarska et al., 2013; Shic et al. 2014; Young et al., 2009), the authors found that during a communicative scene (i....
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TL;DR: A near future where infants are placed into an eye-tracking device at routine pediatric visits is compelling, if not guaranteed, and could provide access to an affordable and objective tool with the potential for extremely early intervention.
Abstract: A recent Nature article provided preliminary evidence that infants age 2–6 months old, who were later diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), fixated more on the mouth than eyes and more at objects than people when viewing videos of typical childhood social scenes (1). While the sample was small, a reliable pattern of decline in eye fixation accurately predicted their level and classification of symptoms at age three suggesting that – for the first time – an infant could be assessed within the first 6 months of life for their potential of developing ASD (see Table Table11 for studies that used eye-tracking with infants 12 months and younger). These eye-tracking devices, which are currently in clinical trials, could provide access to an affordable and objective tool with the potential for extremely early intervention. Detecting ASD risk during the first 6 months of life presents unprecedented opportunities to intervene, providing children opportunities to build critical skills before autistic characteristics fully emerge. Because the eye-tracking device allows for a non-invasive, portable assessment, the device could also enable pediatricians to provide comparable screening services globally. With such promise, a near future where infants are placed into an eye-tracking device at routine pediatric visits is compelling, if not guaranteed.
351 citations
TL;DR: Findings reveal atypical sensorimotor development at 6 months of age which is associated with ASD at 24 months in the most severely affected group of infants.
Abstract: To delineate the early progression of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms, this study investigated developmental characteristics of infants at high familial risk for ASD (HR), and infants at low risk (LR). Participants included 210 HR and 98 LR infants across 4 sites with comparable behavioral data at age 6, 12, and 24 months assessed in the domains of cognitive development (Mullen Scales of Early Learning), adaptive skills (Vineland Adaptive Behavioral Scales), and early behavioral features of ASD (Autism Observation Scale for Infants). Participants evaluated according to the DSM-IV-TR criteria at 24 months and categorized as ASD-positive or ASD-negative were further stratified by empirically derived cutoff scores using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule yielding four groups: HR-ASD-High, HR-ASD-Moderate (HR-ASD-Mod), HR-ASD-Negative (HR-Neg), and LR-ASD-Negative (LR-Neg). The four groups demonstrated different developmental trajectories that became increasingly distinct from 6 to 24 months across all domains. At 6 months, the HR-ASD-High group demonstrated less advanced Gross Motor and Visual Reception skills compared with the LR-Neg group. By 12 months, the HR-ASD-High group demonstrated increased behavioral features of ASD and decreased cognitive and adaptive functioning compared to the HR-Neg and LR-Neg groups. By 24 months, both the HR-ASD-High and HR-ASD-Moderate groups demonstrated differences from the LR- and HR-Neg groups in all domains. These findings reveal atypical sensorimotor development at 6 months of age which is associated with ASD at 24 months in the most severely affected group of infants. Sensorimotor differences precede the unfolding of cognitive and adaptive deficits and behavioral features of autism across the 6- to 24-month interval. The less severely affected group demonstrates later symptom onset, in the second year of life, with initial differences in the social-communication domain.
256 citations
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...Reduced orientation to the eyes and faces in the context of presentation of complex social scenes has also been reported in the first year [6, 19]....
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References
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Book•
22 Dec 2012
TL;DR: To the Human Visual System (HVS), Visual Attention, Neurological Substrate of the HVS, and Neuroscience and Psychology, and Industrial Engineering and Human Factors.
Abstract: to the Human Visual System (HVS).- Visual Attention.- Neurological Substrate of the HVS.- Visual Psychophysics.- Taxonomy and Models of Eye Movements.- Eye Tracking Systems.- Eye Tracking Techniques.- Head-Mounted System Hardware Installation.- Head-Mounted System Software Development.- Head-Mounted System Calibration.- Table-Mounted System Hardware Installation.- Table-Mounted System Software Development.- Table-Mounted System Calibration.- Eye Movement Analysis.- Eye Tracking Methodology.- Experimental Design.- Suggested Empirical Guidelines.- Case Studies.- Eye Tracking Applications.- Diversity and Types of Eye Tracking Applications.- Neuroscience and Psychology.- Industrial Engineering and Human Factors.- Marketing/Advertising.- Computer Science.- Conclusion.
2,399 citations
TL;DR: The Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) as mentioned in this paper includes five scales that provide information on cognitive and motor ability, including Gross Motor (0-33 months only), Visual Reception, Fine Motor, Expressive Language and Receptive Language.
Abstract: Short Description of Instrument: Description: The Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) includes five scales that provide information on cognitive and motor ability. The five scales include: Gross Motor (0–33 months only), Visual Reception, Fine Motor, Expressive Language and Receptive Language. In addition to assessing a child’s strength and weaknesses, this measure is used to assess school readiness. Included in the questionnaire are three different forms depending on the age of the child; 15 minute test for a 1-year old, 25– 35 minute test for 3 year olds and 40–60 minutes for 5 year olds. The report generated from this measure includes a list of tasks that parents can help their child learn at home (based on age).
2,320 citations
TL;DR: Prevalence of autism and related ASDs is substantially greater than previously recognised and services in health, education, and social care will need to recognise the needs of children with some form of ASD, who constitute 1% of the child population.
2,033 citations
TL;DR: This study of 6-month-old infants from two countries, the United States and Sweden, shows that exposure to a specific language in the first half year of life alters infants' phonetic perception.
Abstract: Linguistic experience affects phonetic perception. However, the critical period during which experience affects perception and the mechanism responsible for these effects are unknown. This study of 6-month-old infants from two countries, the United States and Sweden, shows that exposure to a specific language in the first half year of life alters infants' phonetic perception.
1,862 citations
TL;DR: There is evidence that the broadening of the concept, the expansion of diagnostic criteria, the development of services, and improved awareness of the condition have played a major role in explaining this increase, although it cannot be ruled out that other factors might have also contributed to that trend.
Abstract: This article reviews the results of 43 studies published since 1966 that provided estimates for the prevalence of pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs), including autistic disorder, Asperger disorder, PDD not otherwise specified, and childhood disintegrative disorder. The prevalence of autistic disorder has increased in recent surveys and current estimates of prevalence are around 20/10,000, whereas the prevalence for PDD not otherwise specified is around 30/10,000 in recent surveys. Prevalence of Asperger disorder is much lower than that for autistic disorder and childhood disintegrative disorder is a very rare disorder with a prevalence of about 2/100,000. Combined all together, recent studies that have examined the whole spectrum of PDDs have consistently provided estimates in the 60-70/10,000 range, making PDD one of the most frequent childhood neurodevelopmental disorders. The meaning of the increase in prevalence in recent decades is reviewed. There is evidence that the broadening of the concept, the expansion of diagnostic criteria, the development of services, and improved awareness of the condition have played a major role in explaining this increase, although it cannot be ruled out that other factors might have also contributed to that trend.
1,815 citations