Brief Report: Does Eye Contact Induce Contagious Yawning in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder?

2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (11) ◽  
pp. 1598-1602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atsushi Senju ◽  
Yukiko Kikuchi ◽  
Hironori Akechi ◽  
Toshikazu Hasegawa ◽  
Yoshikuni Tojo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Eye Contact ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Contagious Yawning

scholarly journals Blood oxytocin concentration positively predicts contagious yawning behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1156-1161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael G. Mariscal ◽  
Ozge Oztan ◽  
Sophie M. Rose ◽  
Robin A. Libove ◽  
Lisa P. Jackson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Contagious Yawning ◽  
Yawning Behavior

scholarly journals Absence of contagious yawning in children with autism spectrum disorder

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 706-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atsushi Senju ◽  
Makiko Maeda ◽  
Yukiko Kikuchi ◽  
Toshikazu Hasegawa ◽  
Yoshikuni Tojo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Contagious Yawning ◽  
Video Clips ◽  
Children With Asd

This study is the first to report the disturbance of contagious yawning in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Twenty-four children with ASD as well as 25 age-matched typically developing (TD) children observed video clips of either yawning or control mouth movements. Yawning video clips elicited more yawns in TD children than in children with ASD, but the frequency of yawns did not differ between groups when they observed control video clips. Moreover, TD children yawned more during or after the yawn video clips than the control video clips, but the type of video clips did not affect the amount of yawning in children with ASD. Current results suggest that contagious yawning is impaired in ASD, which may relate to their impairment in empathy. It supports the claim that contagious yawning is based on the capacity for empathy.

scholarly journals Presence of Contagious Yawning in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saori Usui ◽  
Atsushi Senju ◽  
Yukiko Kikuchi ◽  
Hironori Akechi ◽  
Yoshikuni Tojo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Eye Tracker ◽  
Contagious Yawning ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
The Face ◽  
And Control

Most previous studies suggest diminished susceptibility to contagious yawning in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, it could be driven by their atypical attention to the face. To test this hypothesis, children with ASD and typically developing (TD) children were shown yawning and control movies. To ensure participants' attention to the face, an eye tracker controlled the onset of the yawning and control stimuli. Results demonstrated that both TD children and children with ASD yawned more frequently when they watched the yawning stimuli than the control stimuli. It is suggested therefore that the absence of contagious yawning in children with ASD, as reported in previous studies, might relate to their weaker tendency to spontaneously attend to others' faces.

Reduced engagement of visual attention in children with autism spectrum disorder

Autism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 136236132110100
Author(s):  
Christopher S McLaughlin ◽  
Hannah E Grosman ◽  
Sylvia B Guillory ◽  
Emily L Isenstein ◽  
Emma Wilkinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Contact ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Differences ◽  
The Social ◽  
Specific Symptoms ◽  
Visual Engagement

A common example of social differences in autism spectrum disorder is poor modulation of reciprocal gaze, including reduced duration of eye contact and difficulty detecting the aim of another’s gaze. It remains unclear, however, whether such differences are specific to the social domain, or are instead indicative of broader alterations in processes of visual engagement and disengagement in autism spectrum disorder. To assess whether children with autism spectrum disorder experience altered engagement of visual attention, and whether such processes are specific to social stimuli, we implemented a gap-overlap eye-tracking paradigm consisting of both social and nonsocial images with children with autism spectrum disorder ( n = 35) and typical development ( n = 32). Children with autism spectrum disorder demonstrated a significantly reduced overall gap effect (i.e. difference in saccade latency to peripheral stimuli between overlap and gap trials) compared with the controls. This reduction spanned both social and nonsocial conditions. Our findings suggest that children with autism spectrum disorder experience alterations in general processes of engagement of visual attention, and that these alterations are not specific to the social domain, but do associate with cognitive functioning. Affected processes of visual engagement in autism spectrum disorder may contribute to features like poor reciprocal gaze, but social-specific symptoms of autism spectrum disorder likely originate from other subcortical processes or higher order cognition. Lay abstract Limited eye contact and difficulty tracking where others are looking are common in people with autism spectrum disorder. It is unclear, however, whether these are specifically social differences; it is possible that they are a result of broader alterations in engaging and disengaging visual attention. We used eye-tracking technology with children with autism spectrum disorder ( n = 35) and typical development ( n = 32), showing them both social and nonsocial imaging to test their visual attention. Children with autism spectrum disorder had a significant difference in how long it took them to look from an image in the middle to one on the side, depending on whether the middle image stayed on the screen or flashed off before the one on the side appeared. This difference was present for both social and nonsocial images, and was related to cognitive ability for only the children with autism spectrum disorder. Our findings suggest that children with autism spectrum disorder have differences in general processes of engaging visual attention that are not specifically social in nature, and that these processes may relate to cognitive ability in autism spectrum disorder. Affected processes of visual engagement in autism spectrum disorder may contribute to symptoms like reduced eye contact, but social-specific symptoms of autism spectrum disorder likely do not stem from reduced visual engagement alone.

Instruction Using Augmentative and Alternative Communication Supports: Description of Current Practices by Speech-Language Pathologists Who Work With Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 586-596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitlyn A. Clarke ◽  
Diane L. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Diagnostic Category ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
Processing Differences

Purpose The aim of this research study was to examine common practices of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who work with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with respect to whether or not SLPs consider processing differences in ASD or the effects of input during their instruction. Method Following a qualitative research method, how SLPs instruct and present augmentative and alternative communication systems to individuals with ASD, their rationale for method selection, and their perception of the efficacy of selected interventions were probed. Semistructured interviews were conducted as part of an in-depth case report with content analysis. Results Based on completed interviews, 4 primary themes were identified: (a) instructional method , (b) input provided , (c) decision-making process , and (d) perceived efficacy of treatment . Additionally, one secondary theme, training and education received , was identified . Conclusions Clinicians reported making decisions based on the needs of the child; however, they also reported making decisions based on the diagnostic category that characterized the child (i.e., ASD). The use of modeling when teaching augmentative and alternative communication to individuals with ASD emerged as a theme, but variations in the method of modeling were noted. SLPs did not report regularly considering processing differences in ASD, nor did they consider the effects of input during instruction.

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