Visual impairment and traits of autism in children

Wrzesińska, Magdalena; Kapias, Joanna; Nowakowska‐Domagała, Katarzyna; Kocur, Józef

doi:10.12740/pp/onlinefirst/61352

Cited by 20 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The variety of visual phenotypes reported in the literature may be due to the fact that ASD is a spectrum disorder, in which the severity and presentations of the symptoms vary over a very large range. Additionally, there have been many challenges in measuring visual function (including spatial acuity and contrast sensitivity) in this population, especially in children, because of wide variations in testing methods, sample sizes, selection of high‐functioning participants, cooperativeness during visual testing, and social and communication difficulties 12 – 14 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Atypical visual processing can cause an individual to miss important social cues, such as eye contact and nuances in facial expression or skin pigmentation, and ultimately can have deleterious effects on the learning and acquisition of social skills 8 – 11 . Clinically, atypical visual phenotypes are common in ASD patients 12 – 14 , and many studies have reported a preference towards intricate details of a visual scene (“local details”) in ASD, as opposed to a contextual understanding of the image as a whole (“global structure”). It has been hypothesized that these phenotypes might be due to alterations in neural processing of spatial vision, or to a relatively increased response to information of high spatial frequencies 8 – 11 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Atypical visual processing in a mouse model of autism

Cheng

Pagtalunan

Abushaibah

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Human social cognition relies heavily on the processing of various visual cues, such as eye contact and facial expressions. Atypical visual perception and integration have been recognized as key phenotypes in individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and may potentially contribute to impediments in normal social development, a hallmark of ASD. Meanwhile, increasing studies on visual function in ASD have pointed to detail-oriented perception, which has been hypothesized to result from heightened response to information of high spatial frequency. However, mixed results of human studies have led to much debate, and investigations using animal models have been limited. Here, using BtBR mice as a model of idiopathic ASD, we assessed retinal stimulus processing by full-field electroretinogram and found impaired photoreceptor function and retinabased alterations mostly in the cone pathway. Using the optokinetic reflex to evaluate visual function, we observed robustly enhanced visual response to finer spatial details and more subtle contrasts at only higher spatial frequencies in the BtBR mice, under both photopic and scotopic conditions. These behavioral results, which are similar to findings in a subset of ASD patients, indicate a bias toward processing information of high spatial frequencies. Together, these findings also suggest that, while enhancement of visual behaviors under both photopic and scotopic conditions might be due to alterations in visual processing common to both rod and cone pathways, these mechanisms are probably downstream of photoreceptor function.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atypical visual processing in a mouse model of autism

Cheng

Pagtalunan

Abushaibah

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…While autistic individuals predictably presented more autistic traits compared to TD and CVI individuals, the latter group also presented some autistic traits as measured by the AQ score. This is in line with an extensive literature showing that individuals with CVI present atypical behaviours often overlapping with autistic features, including communication difficulties, as well as repetitive behaviours and stereotyped patterns (Bathelt, Dale, & de Haan, 2017; Bathelt, de Haan, Salt, & Dale, 2018; Butchart et al ., 2017; Ek, Fernell, Jacobson, & Gillberg, 1998; Hobson & Lee, 2010; Jure, Pogonza, & Rapin, 2016; Kiani et al ., 2019; Mukaddes, Kilincaslan, Kucukyazici, Sevketoglu, & Tuncer, 2007; Wrzesinska, Kapias, Nowakowska‐Domagala, & Kocur, 2017). However, the AQ score in individuals with CVI may not reflect a real autistic behaviour but might be due to some specific questions closely related to visual skills, including visual imagery, attention to detail and patterns.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emotional face recognition in autism and in cerebral visual impairments: In search for specificity

Kovarski

Caetta

Mermillod

et al. 2020

Journal of Neuropsychology

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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by difficulties in the social domain, but also by hyper-and hypo-reactivity. Atypical visual behaviours and processing have often been observed. Nevertheless, several similar signs are also identified in other clinical conditions including cerebral visual impairments (CVI). In the present study, we investigated emotional face categorization in groups of children with ASD and CVI by comparing each group to typically developing individuals (TD) in two tasks. Stimuli were either non-filtered or filtered by low-and high-spatial frequencies (LSF and HSF). All participants completed the autism spectrum quotient score (AQ) and a complete neurovisual evaluation. The results show that while both clinical groups presented difficulties in the emotional face recognition tasks and atypical processing of filtered stimuli, they did not differ from one another. Additionally, autistic traits were observed in the CVI group and symmetrically, some visual disturbances were present in the ASD group as measured via the AQ score and a neurovisual evaluation, respectively. The present study suggests the relevance of comparing ASD to CVI by showing that emotional face categorization difficulties should not be solely considered as autismspecific but merit investigation for potential dysfunction of the visual processing neural network. These results are of interest in both clinical and research perspectives, indicating that systematic visual examination is warranted for individuals with ASD.Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by (1) impairments in the social and communication domain and by (2) stereotyped and repetitive behaviours as well as by sensory hypo-and hyper-responsiveness (APA, 2013).

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“…It has previously been noted that young persons with VI are more engaged in passive leisure activities than those without disabilities, and usually spend less time with their peers [33]. This may be attributed to the fact that young persons with VI are more prone to social isolation due to the limited opportunities for them to learn social skills by observing interactions in different contexts [34,35]. On the other hand, students with VI tend to be more engaged in peer contact through new media, thus compensating for the perceived traditional offline social isolation [19]; this could be reflected in the longer amounts of time spent playing games at the weekend.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gaming Behaviors among Polish Students with Visual Impairment

Wrzesińska

Tabała

Stecz

2021

IJERPH

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The access of people with disabilities to digital solutions promotes their inclusion and participation in many aspects of life. Computer games based on hearing or haptic devices have been gaining popularity among persons with visual impairment (VI), and players tend to display improved spatial and abstract reasoning skills, as well as better social interaction and self-confidence, after playing these games. However, a recent survey suggested that excessive gaming could represent a public health concern as a harmful form of behavior in young people associated with risk factors of negative psychosomatic and physical complaints. Young persons with VI are regular users of various technologies, but little is still known about their media patterns. This study aimed to determine the characteristics of the variables associated with gaming for adolescents with VI. The participants were 490 students, aged 13–24 years, from special schools for students with VI. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The current survey indicated a tendency towards excessive gaming in a significant proportion of young persons with VI. Sociodemographic variables are important in predicting gaming prevalence or screen time, but further research focused on establishing possible mediators (such as parental attitudes towards media) are necessary for identifying problematic gaming behaviors among students with VI.

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Visual impairment and traits of autism in children

Cited by 20 publications

References 21 publications

Atypical visual processing in a mouse model of autism

Atypical visual processing in a mouse model of autism

Emotional face recognition in autism and in cerebral visual impairments: In search for specificity

Gaming Behaviors among Polish Students with Visual Impairment

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