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Brief Report: Autism-like Traits are Associated With Enhanced Ability to Disembed Visual Forms
Antoinette Sabatino DiCriscio1, Vanessa Troiani2
1Geisinger Health System, Geisinger Autism and Developmental Medicine Institute (ADMI), Lewisburg, PA, 17837, USA. asdicriscio@geisinger.edu.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
|February 19, 2017
Summary
This study found that better visual perceptual skills correlate with autistic-like traits in adults, particularly in males. This research supports a link between visual processing and autism spectrum disorder.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Developmental Disorders
Background:
- Atypical visual attention is a common characteristic in autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
- The relationship between visual processing skills and the broader autism phenotype (BAP) requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine if individual differences in visual processing skills correlate with quantitative traits of the broader autism phenotype.
- To investigate the gender-specific nature of this relationship.
Main Methods:
- Assessed visual perception using the Figure-ground subtest of the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills-3rd Edition (TVPS).
- Utilized the Broader Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ) to assess autistic-like social features.
- Analyzed data from a large adult cohort (n=209).
Main Results:
- A significant positive correlation was found between TVPS-Figure Ground scores and autistic-like social features.
- This correlation was gender-specific, evident only in males.
- The findings suggest a link between visual perceptual abilities and autistic traits.
Conclusions:
- Atypical visual perception is associated with autism spectrum disorder.
- Individual differences in visual processing are relevant to understanding the behavioral phenotypes of autism.
- Further research is needed to explore gender-specific mechanisms in autism.
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