Brief Report: Flanker Visual Filtering Ability in Older Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Recent research has documented impaired ability to resist interference from visual distractors in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and suggests that this phenomenon may be more pronounced in young versus older children (Christ et al., Neuropsychology 25(6):690-701, 2011). The present study extends previous findings by examining visual filtering inhibitory ability within an older adolescent population. A flanker visual filtering task was administered to 36 adolescents with ASD and 44 adolescents without ASD (age: 11-20 years). Analysis revealed no evidence of group differences in visual filtering performance. Taken together with previous research, these results suggest that during early adolescence the previously observed impairment may resolve or compensatory strategies develop, allowing individuals with ASD to perform as well as their neurotypical peers.