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Related Concept Videos

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction alongside restrictive and repetitive behaviors or interests. ASD is sometimes accompanied by intellectual impairment.
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.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 11, 2026

Comparing Eye-tracking Data of Children with High-functioning ASD, Comorbid ADHD, and of a Control Watching Social Videos

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Attentional Differences in a Driving Hazard Perception Task in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Elizabeth Sheppard¹, Editha van Loon², Geoffrey Underwood²

¹School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK. elizabeth.sheppard@nottingham.ac.uk.

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

|November 21, 2016

Summary

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) showed good hazard detection but slower orientation in a driving task. Attentional capture before hazards correlated with lower verbal IQ, suggesting different attention distribution in ASD.

Keywords:

Attention Autism spectrum disorders Driving Eye-tracking Hazard perception

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Area of Science:

Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Cognitive Psychology
Traffic Safety

Background:

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by social and communication differences.
Attentional processing is often atypical in individuals with ASD.
Understanding attention in real-world tasks like driving is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate attentional processing of social and non-social stimuli in ASD during a driving hazard perception task.
To examine eye movement patterns and hazard detection performance in individuals with ASD.
To explore the relationship between attentional capture, hazard perception, and cognitive abilities in ASD.

Main Methods:

Participants with ASD and neurotypical controls completed a driving hazard perception task.
Videos of road scenes were used to present potential hazards.
Eye movements were recorded to track attentional orienting and capture.
Hazard detection accuracy, reaction times, and pre-hazard attentional capture were analyzed.
Verbal IQ was assessed and correlated with attentional measures.

Main Results:

Individuals with ASD detected hazards effectively but were significantly slower to orient towards them.
Increased attentional capture in the period preceding hazard onset was observed.
Greater pre-hazard attentional capture was associated with lower verbal IQ in the ASD group.
No significant differences in overall hazard detection accuracy were found between groups.

Conclusions:

Individuals with ASD may employ distinct attentional strategies in driving hazard perception.
Slower orienting responses and altered attentional capture patterns are characteristic of ASD in this context.
These findings highlight the need for tailored driving safety interventions considering the unique attentional profiles of individuals with ASD.