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Published on: December 7, 2018
Visual search performance in infants associates with later ASD diagnosis
C H M Cheung1, R Bedford2, M H Johnson1
1Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, UK.
Insights
Early visual search (VS) skills in infants at high risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) predict later diagnosis. Superior VS abilities in infancy are specific to ASD and not linked to ADHD or anxiety symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Enhanced visual search (VS) is noted in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
- The developmental emergence and specificity of early VS abilities in ASD remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the emergence of VS abilities in infants at high and low risk for ASD.
- Examine the link between early VS and later ASD diagnosis.
- Determine the specificity of superior VS to ASD, excluding ADHD and anxiety symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study following infants at high and low familial risk for ASD.
- Assessed VS performance at 9, 15 months, and 2 years.
- Clinical ASD diagnosis and dimensional symptom measures (ASD, ADHD, anxiety) at 3 years.
Main Results:
- Infants later diagnosed with ASD (HR-ASD) showed superior VS at 9 and 15 months, but not at 2 years.
- Higher attention at 9 months did not account for VS performance.
- Superior VS selectively predicted ASD diagnosis at 3 years, not ADHD or anxiety symptoms.
Conclusions:
- Atypical visual perception, indicated by superior VS, is present early in development in individuals who later receive an ASD diagnosis.
- These findings suggest a selective association between early perceptual atypicalities and core ASD symptoms.
- The results support a potential causal link between perceptual and social features in ASD.
Abstract:
An enhanced ability to detect visual targets amongst distractors, known as visual search (VS), has often been documented in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Yet, it is unclear when this behaviour emerges in development and if it is specific to ASD. We followed up infants at high and low familial risk for ASD to investigate how early VS abilities links to later ASD diagnosis, the potential underlying mechanisms of this association and the specificity of superior VS to ASD. Clinical diagnosis of ASD as well as dimensional measures of ASD, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety symptoms were ascertained at 3 years. At 9 and 15 months, but not at age 2 years, high-risk children who later met clinical criteria for ASD (HR-ASD) had better VS performance than those without later diagnosis and low-risk controls. Although HR-ASD children were also more attentive to the task at 9 months, this did not explain search performance. Superior VS specifically predicted 3 year-old ASD but not ADHD or anxiety symptoms. Our results demonstrate that atypical perception and core ASD symptoms of social interaction and communication are closely and selectively associated during early development, and suggest causal links between perceptual and social features of ASD.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Autism Spectrum Disorder
These core symptoms manifest differently among individuals, ranging from mild to severe. The disorder's complexity extends beyond its clinical presentation, encompassing a diverse range of biological, cognitive, and sociocultural influences.
01:12Visual Agnosia