Quicker Exogenous Orienting and Slower Endogenous Orienting in Autistic People

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Attention orienting research in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) yields mixed results.
• Understanding attention atypicalities in autism is crucial for targeted interventions.
• Potential confounders like ADHD and anxiety symptoms require careful consideration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate exogenous and endogenous attention orienting in autistic individuals.
• To examine the influence of age, sex, ADHD, and anxiety on attention orienting.
• To clarify atypicalities in attention orienting within the autistic population.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Posner tasks (exogenous and endogenous) to assess attention orienting.
• Recruited 27 autistic and 22 neurotypical participants, matched for age and sex.
• Collected response time and pupillometric data, controlling for alerting, ADHD, and anxiety symptoms.

Main Results:

• Autistic participants demonstrated faster exogenous orienting to valid cues.
• Autistic participants exhibited slower disengagement from invalid cues in endogenous orienting.
• Age positively correlated with orienting speed in autistic individuals; ADHD and anxiety symptoms modulated orienting differently across groups.

Conclusions:

• Provides evidence for superior exogenous and inefficient endogenous attention orienting in autistic individuals.
• Highlights the significant impact of age and co-occurring symptoms on attention orienting.
• Suggests a nuanced understanding of attention processes in autism is necessary.