The Influence of Irrelevant Visual Distractors on Eye Movement Control in Chinese Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Evidence from the Remote Distractor Paradigm

Abstract The current study examined eye movement control in autistic (ASD) children. Simple targets were presented in isolation, or with central, parafoveal, or peripheral distractors synchronously. Sixteen children with ASD (47–81 months) and nineteen age and IQ matched typically developing children were instructed to look to the target as accurately and quickly as possible. Both groups showed high proportions (40%) of saccadic errors towards parafoveal and peripheral distractors. For correctly executed eye movements to the targets, centrally presented distractors produced the longest latencies (time taken to initiate eye movements), followed by parafoveal and peripheral distractor conditions. Central distractors had a greater effect in the ASD group, indicating evidence for potential atypical voluntary attentional control in ASD children.

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The Use of Hand Gestures to Communicate About Nonpresent Objects in Mind Among Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2015_jslhr-l-14-0213 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 58 (2) ◽

pp. 373-382 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Wing-Chee So ◽

Ming Lui ◽

Tze-Kiu Wong ◽

Long-Tin Sit

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Intervention Program ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Spatial Skills ◽

Typically Developing Children ◽

Visual Spatial ◽

Children With Asd

Purpose The current study examined whether children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), in comparison with typically developing children, perceive and produce gestures to identify nonpresent objects (i.e., referent-identifying gestures), which is crucial for communicating ideas in a discourse. Method An experimenter described the uses of daily-life objects to 6- to 12-year-old children both orally and with gestures. The children were then asked to describe how they performed daily activities using those objects. Results All children gestured. A gesture identified a nonpresent referent if it was produced in the same location that had previously been established by the experimenter. Children with ASD gestured at the specific locations less often than typically developing children. Verbal and spatial memory were positively correlated with the ability to produce referent-identifying gestures for all children. However, the positive correlation between Raven's Children Progressive Matrices score and the production of referent-identifying gestures was found only in children with ASD. Conclusions Children with ASD might be less able to perceive and produce referent-identifying gestures and may rely more heavily on visual–spatial skills in producing referent-identifying gestures. The results have clinical implications for designing an intervention program to enhance the ability of children with ASD to communicate about nonpresent objects with gestures.

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Psychopharmacological treatment of ADHD symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder

International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health ◽

10.1515/ijamh.2011.039 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 23 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Benjamin L. Handen ◽

Johanna Taylor ◽

Rameshwari Tumuluru

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Adhd Symptoms ◽

Typically Developing Children ◽

Psychopharmacological Treatment ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Appropriate Treatment

Abstract One of the most frequently reported behavioral concerns among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is high rates of activity and inattention, symptoms that are often associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Although there is a considerable body of research regarding the appropriate treatment of ADHD symptoms among typically developing children, the research among children with ASD is more limited. The evidence to date suggests that medication response rates among children with ASD are considerably lower than among typically developing children and that children with ASD tend to be at greater risk for experiencing side effects. The purpose of the present paper is to review the available research on the treatment of ADHD symptoms in children with ASD. This paper summarizes the data on a range of pharmacological options and provides specific recommendations for how best to clinically manage these symptoms.

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Trajectories of imitation skills in preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorders

10.1101/2021.03.24.21254258 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Irene Pittet ◽

Nada Kojovic ◽

Martina Franchini ◽

Marie Schaer

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽

Social Cognitive ◽

Developmental Trajectories ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Typically Developing Children ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Spectrum Disorders ◽

The Impact

Imitation skills play a crucial role in social cognitive development from early childhood. Many studies have shown a deficit in imitation skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Little is known about the development of imitation behaviors in children with ASD. This study aims to measure the trajectories of early imitation skills in preschoolers with ASD and how these skills impact other areas of early development. For this purpose, we assessed imitation, language and cognition skills in 177 children with ASD and 43 typically developing children (TD) aged 2 to 5 years old, 126 of which were followed longitudinally, yielding a total of 396 time-points. Our results confirmed the presence of an early imitation deficit in toddlers with ASD compared to TD children. The study of the trajectories showed that these difficulties were marked at the age of two years, and gradually decreased until the age of 5 years old. Imitation skills were strongly linked with cognitive, language skills and level of symptoms in our ASD group at baseline. Moreover, the imitation skills at baseline were predictive of the language gains a year later in our ASD group. Using a data-driven clustering method, we delineated different developmental trajectories of imitation skills within the ASD group. The clinical implications of the findings are discussed, particularly the impact of an early imitation deficit on other areas of competence of the young child.

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Participation of Children With ASD Using an Adapted Structured Preschool Participation Observation and Comparison With Typically Developing Children

American Journal of Occupational Therapy ◽

10.5014/ajot.2021.75s2-rp56 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 75 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 7512500056p1-7512500056p1

Author(s):

Anat Golos ◽

Sophi Itkin ◽

Hadas Ben-Zur

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Content Validity ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Typically Developing Children ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Preschool Participation ◽

Primary Author

Abstract Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. Participation of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is limited compared with their typically developing (TD) peers. This study examined the participation of children with ASD using an adapted observation in comparison with TD children. Content validity was evaluated by 21 experts, and 70 children were observed. Children with ASD scored significantly lower than TD children in most areas. More structured settings enabled higher participation scores. Further studies are needed. Primary Author and Speaker: Anat Golos Contributing Authors: Sophi Itkin, Hadas Ben-Zur

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Imitation Recognition by Minimally Verbal Young Children: A Comparison Between Down Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities ◽

10.1177/10883576211035030 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 108835762110350

Author(s):

Gökhan Töret

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Down Syndrome ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Minimally Verbal ◽

Typically Developing Children ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Minimally Verbal Children

Research has shown that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display limited imitation recognition behaviors in comparison with typically developing children. However, the levels of imitation recognition of minimally verbal children with ASD relative to those with developmental disabilities are unknown. The purpose of this study was to compare the imitation recognition behaviors of 20 minimally verbal children with ASD and 20 minimally verbal children with Down syndrome (DS) when imitated by an adult in a play context. Results showed that children with ASD display more limited imitation recognition than children with DS. These results indicate that children with ASD are weaker in displaying imitation recognition. On the contrary, both groups display an association between imitation recognition and a variety of play actions in both groups.

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Trajectories of imitation skills in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders

Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders ◽

10.1186/s11689-021-09412-y ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Irène Pittet ◽

Nada Kojovic ◽

Martina Franchini ◽

Marie Schaer

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽

Social Cognitive ◽

Developmental Trajectories ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Typically Developing Children ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Spectrum Disorders ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Imitation skills play a crucial role in social cognitive development from early childhood. Many studies have shown a deficit in imitation skills in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Little is known about the development of imitation behaviors in children with ASD. This study aims to measure the trajectories of early imitation skills in preschoolers with ASD and how these skills impact other areas of early development. Methods For this purpose, we assessed imitation, language, and cognition skills in 177 children with ASD and 43 typically developing children (TD) aged 2 to 5 years old, 126 of which were followed longitudinally, yielding a total of 396 time points. Results Our results confirmed the presence of an early imitation deficit in toddlers with ASD compared to TD children. The study of the trajectories showed that these difficulties were marked at the age of 2 years and gradually decreased until the age of 5 years old. Imitation skills were strongly linked with cognitive and language skills and level of symptoms in our ASD group at baseline. Moreover, the imitation skills at baseline were predictive of the language gains a year later in our ASD group. Using a data-driven clustering method, we delineated different developmental trajectories of imitation skills within the ASD group. Conclusions The clinical implications of the findings are discussed, particularly the impact of an early imitation deficit on other areas of competence of the young child.

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Postural control and emotion in children with autism spectrum disorders

Translational Neuroscience ◽

10.1515/tnsci-2017-0022 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Nathalie Gouleme ◽

Isabelle Scheid ◽

Hugo Peyre ◽

Magali Seassau ◽

Anna Maruani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽

Postural Control ◽

Postural Sway ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Fixation Time ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Typically Developing Children ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Spectrum Disorders

AbstractAutism Spectrum Disorders subjects (ASD) are well known to have deficits in social interaction. We recorded simultaneously eye movements and postural sway during exploration of emotional faces in children with ASD and typically developing children (TD). We analyzed several postural and ocular parameters. The results showed that all postural parameters were significantly greater in children with ASD; ASD made significantly fewer saccades and had shorter fixation time than TD, particularly in the eyes, and especially for unpleasant emotions. These results suggest that poor postural control of ASD and their impaired visual strategies could be due to a lack of interest in social cognition, causing a delay in the development of the cortical areas, and thus could have an effect on their postural control.

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Circumscribed Interest Modulates Attention to Eyes in Boys With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.627365 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Qiandong Wang ◽

Sio Pan Hoi ◽

Ci Song ◽

Tianbi Li ◽

Cheuk Man Lam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Eye Movements ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Visual Preference ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Human Eyes ◽

Abnormal Visual

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit abnormal visual attention, such as diminished attention to eyes and enhanced attention to high-autism-interest objects. We tested whether high-autism-interest objects would modulate the attention to eyes in boys with ASD and typically developing (TD) boys. Twenty-two ASD and 22 TD children were presented simultaneously with human eyes and high/low-autism-interest objects (HAI/LAI) while their eye movements were recorded. We found that visual preference for eyes was influenced by competing objects in children with and without ASD. Specifically, both children with and without ASD showed reduced overall and first looking preference when eyes were paired with HAI objects relative to LAI objects. Children with ASD also showed reduced sustained viewing preference to the eyes after first looking at the eyes and late looking preference to the eyes after first looking at the objects in the HAI condition than the LAI condition, but these effects were absent in the TD group. Our study not only helps us understand some factors that impact attention to eyes, but also has implications for interventions aiming at improving eye contact in children with ASD.

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Parent-Child Reminiscing: Relationships between Parent Elaborations, Emotion Talk and Memory Contributions of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

10.26686/wgtn.16968304 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Wendy Faust

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Developmental Process ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Typically Developing Children ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Emotion Talk ◽

Parent Child

<p>How parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) engage their children in reminiscing about the past was investigated in a sample of 12 children with ASD and 12 matched typically developing children. Analysis of parent elaboration styles and emotion talk during reminiscing revealed no significant differences between parents of children with ASD and parents of typically developing children. The elaboration style and emotion talk of parents of children with ASD was associated with their children's memory contributions and emotion talk during conversations. The discussion addresses why the social and language difficulties, characteristic of ASD, may not have impacted on parent-child reminiscing. It considers this specifically in relation to the role that parents of children with ASD play in 'scaffolding' their children through the critical developmental process of parent-child reminiscing.</p>

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