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Zhao C, Ong JH, Veic A, Patel AD, Jiang C, Fogel AR, Wang L, Hou Q, Das D, Crasto C, Chakrabarti B, Williams TI, Loutrari A, Liu F. Predictive processing of music and language in autism: Evidence from Mandarin and English speakers. Autism Res 2024; 17:1230-1257. [PMID: 38651566 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Atypical predictive processing has been associated with autism across multiple domains, based mainly on artificial antecedents and consequents. As structured sequences where expectations derive from implicit learning of combinatorial principles, language and music provide naturalistic stimuli for investigating predictive processing. In this study, we matched melodic and sentence stimuli in cloze probabilities and examined musical and linguistic prediction in Mandarin- (Experiment 1) and English-speaking (Experiment 2) autistic and non-autistic individuals using both production and perception tasks. In the production tasks, participants listened to unfinished melodies/sentences and then produced the final notes/words to complete these items. In the perception tasks, participants provided expectedness ratings of the completed melodies/sentences based on the most frequent notes/words in the norms. While Experiment 1 showed intact musical prediction but atypical linguistic prediction in autism in the Mandarin sample that demonstrated imbalanced musical training experience and receptive vocabulary skills between groups, the group difference disappeared in a more closely matched sample of English speakers in Experiment 2. These findings suggest the importance of taking an individual differences approach when investigating predictive processing in music and language in autism, as the difficulty in prediction in autism may not be due to generalized problems with prediction in any type of complex sequence processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Zhao
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Jia Hoong Ong
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Anamarija Veic
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Aniruddh D Patel
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
- Program in Brain, Mind, and Consciousness, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Toronto, Canada
| | - Cunmei Jiang
- Music College, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Allison R Fogel
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Li Wang
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Qingqi Hou
- Department of Music and Dance, Nanjing Normal University of Special Education, Nanjing, China
| | - Dipsikha Das
- School of Psychology, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK
| | - Cara Crasto
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Bhismadev Chakrabarti
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Tim I Williams
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Ariadne Loutrari
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Fang Liu
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
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2
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Cuneo N, Floyd S, Goldberg AE. Word meaning is complex: Language-related generalization differences in autistic adults. Cognition 2024; 244:105691. [PMID: 38218051 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
The current study marries two important observations. First, there is a growing recognition that word meanings need to be flexibly extended in new ways as new contexts arise. Second, as evidenced primarily within the perceptual domain, autistic individuals tend to find generalization more challenging while showing stronger veridical memory in comparison to their neurotypical peers. Here we report that a group of 80 autistic adults finds it more challenging to flexibly extend the meanings of familiar words in new ways than a group of 80 neurotypical peers, while the autistic individuals outperform the neurotypicals on a novel word-learning task that does not require flexible extension. Results indicate that recognized differences in generalization present an ongoing challenge for autistic adults in the domain of language, separate from social cognition, executive function, or the ability to assign single fixed meanings to new words.
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3
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Hisaizumi M, Tantam D. Enhanced sensitivity to pitch perception and its possible relation to language acquisition in autism. AUTISM & DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENTS 2024; 9:23969415241248618. [PMID: 38817731 PMCID: PMC11138189 DOI: 10.1177/23969415241248618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Background and aims Fascinations for or aversions to particular sounds are a familiar feature of autism, as is an ability to reproduce another person's utterances, precisely copying the other person's prosody as well as their words. Such observations seem to indicate not only that autistic people can pay close attention to what they hear, but also that they have the ability to perceive the finer details of auditory stimuli. This is consistent with the previously reported consensus that absolute pitch is more common in autistic individuals than in neurotypicals. We take this to suggest that autistic people have perception that allows them to pay attention to fine details. It is important to establish whether or not this is so as autism is often presented as a deficit rather than a difference. We therefore undertook a narrative literature review of studies of auditory perception, in autistic and nonautistic individuals, focussing on any differences in processing linguistic and nonlinguistic sounds. Main contributions We find persuasive evidence that nonlinguistic auditory perception in autistic children differs from that of nonautistic children. This is supported by the additional finding of a higher prevalence of absolute pitch and enhanced pitch discriminating abilities in autistic children compared to neurotypical children. Such abilities appear to stem from atypical perception, which is biased toward local-level information necessary for processing pitch and other prosodic features. Enhanced pitch discriminating abilities tend to be found in autistic individuals with a history of language delay, suggesting possible reciprocity. Research on various aspects of language development in autism also supports the hypothesis that atypical pitch perception may be accountable for observed differences in language development in autism. Conclusions The results of our review of previously published studies are consistent with the hypothesis that auditory perception, and particularly pitch perception, in autism are different from the norm but not always impaired. Detail-oriented pitch perception may be an advantage given the right environment. We speculate that unusually heightened sensitivity to pitch differences may be at the cost of the normal development of the perception of the sounds that contribute most to early language development. Implications The acquisition of speech and language may be a process that normally involves an enhanced perception of speech sounds at the expense of the processing of nonlinguistic sounds, but autistic children may not give speech sounds this same priority.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Digby Tantam
- Middlesex University, Existential Academy, London, UK
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4
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Gabay Y, Reinisch E, Even D, Binur N, Hadad BS. Intact Utilization of Contextual Information in Speech Categorization in Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 2023:10.1007/s10803-023-06106-3. [PMID: 37787847 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-023-06106-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Current theories of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) suggest atypical use of context in ASD, but little is known about how these atypicalities influence speech perception. We examined the influence of contextual information (lexical, spectral, and temporal) on phoneme categorization of people with ASD and in typically developed (TD) people. Across three experiments, we found that people with ASD used all types of contextual information for disambiguating speech sounds to the same extent as TD; yet they exhibited a shallower identification curve when phoneme categorization required temporal processing. Overall, the results suggest that the observed atypicalities in speech perception in ASD, including the reduced sensitivity observed here, cannot be attributed merely to the limited ability to utilize context during speech perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yafit Gabay
- Department of Special Education, University of Haifa, 199 Abba Khoushy Ave, Haifa, 3498838, Israel.
- Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, 199 Abba Khoushy Ave, Haifa, 3498838, Israel.
| | - Eva Reinisch
- Acoustics Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Wohllebengasse 12-14, Vienna, 1040, Austria
| | - Dana Even
- Department of Special Education, University of Haifa, 199 Abba Khoushy Ave, Haifa, 3498838, Israel
- Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, 199 Abba Khoushy Ave, Haifa, 3498838, Israel
| | - Nahal Binur
- Department of Special Education, University of Haifa, 199 Abba Khoushy Ave, Haifa, 3498838, Israel
- Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, 199 Abba Khoushy Ave, Haifa, 3498838, Israel
| | - Bat-Sheva Hadad
- Department of Special Education, University of Haifa, 199 Abba Khoushy Ave, Haifa, 3498838, Israel
- Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, 199 Abba Khoushy Ave, Haifa, 3498838, Israel
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5
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Ong JH, Zhao C, Bacon A, Leung FYN, Veic A, Wang L, Jiang C, Liu F. The Relationship Between Autism and Pitch Perception is Modulated by Cognitive Abilities. J Autism Dev Disord 2023:10.1007/s10803-023-06075-7. [PMID: 37642868 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-023-06075-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies reported mixed findings on autistic individuals' pitch perception relative to neurotypical (NT) individuals. We investigated whether this may be partly due to individual differences in cognitive abilities by comparing their performance on various pitch perception tasks on a large sample (n = 164) of autistic and NT children and adults. Our findings revealed that: (i) autistic individuals either showed similar or worse performance than NT individuals on the pitch tasks; (ii) cognitive abilities were associated with some pitch task performance; and (iii) cognitive abilities modulated the relationship between autism diagnosis and pitch perception on some tasks. Our findings highlight the importance of taking an individual differences approach to understand the strengths and weaknesses of pitch processing in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Hoong Ong
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
| | - Chen Zhao
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Alex Bacon
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | | | - Anamarija Veic
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Li Wang
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Cunmei Jiang
- Music College, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Fang Liu
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK.
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Xu S, Fan J, Zhang H, Zhang M, Zhao H, Jiang X, Ding H, Zhang Y. Hearing Assistive Technology Facilitates Sentence-in-Noise Recognition in Chinese Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2023:1-21. [PMID: 37418749 DOI: 10.1044/2023_jslhr-22-00589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Hearing assistive technology (HAT) has been shown to be a viable solution to the speech-in-noise perception (SPIN) issue in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, little is known about its efficacy in tonal language speakers. This study compared sentence-level SPIN performance between Chinese children with ASD and neurotypical (NT) children and evaluated HAT use in improving SPIN performance and easing SPIN difficulty. METHOD Children with ASD (n = 26) and NT children (n = 19) aged 6-12 years performed two adaptive tests in steady-state noise and three fixed-level tests in quiet and steady-state noise with and without using HAT. Speech recognition thresholds (SRTs) and accuracy rates were assessed using adaptive and fixed-level tests, respectively. Parents or teachers of the ASD group completed a questionnaire regarding children's listening difficulty under six circumstances before and after a 10-day trial period of HAT use. RESULTS Although the two groups of children had comparable SRTs, the ASD group showed a significantly lower SPIN accuracy rate than the NT group. Also, a significant impact of noise was found in the ASD group's accuracy rate but not in that of the NT group. There was a general improvement in the ASD group's SPIN performance with HAT and a decrease in their listening difficulty ratings across all conditions after the device trial. CONCLUSIONS The findings indicated inadequate SPIN in the ASD group using a relatively sensitive measure to gauge SPIN performance among children. The markedly increased accuracy rate in noise during HAT-on sessions for the ASD group confirmed the feasibility of HAT for improving SPIN performance in controlled laboratory settings, and the reduced post-use ratings of listening difficulty further confirmed the benefits of HAT use in daily scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suyun Xu
- Speech-Language-Hearing Center, School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
| | - Juan Fan
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China
| | - Hua Zhang
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China
| | - Minyue Zhang
- Speech-Language-Hearing Center, School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
| | - Hang Zhao
- Faculty of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai
| | - Xiaoming Jiang
- Institute of Linguistics, Shanghai International Studies University, China
| | - Hongwei Ding
- Speech-Language-Hearing Center, School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences and Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
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7
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Rabot J, Rødgaard EM, Joober R, Dumas G, Bzdok D, Bernhardt B, Jacquemont S, Mottron L. Genesis, modelling and methodological remedies to autism heterogeneity. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 150:105201. [PMID: 37116771 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
Diagnostic criteria used in autism research have undergone a shift towards the inclusion of a larger population, paralleled by increasing, but variable, estimates of autism prevalence across clinical settings and continents. A categorical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder is now consistent with large variations in language, intelligence, comorbidity, and severity, leading to a heterogeneous sample of individuals, increasingly distant from the initial prototypical descriptions. We review the history of autism diagnosis and subtyping, and the evidence of heterogeneity in autism at the cognitive, neurological, and genetic levels. We describe two strategies to address the problem of heterogeneity: clustering, and truncated-compartmentalized enrollment strategy based on prototype recognition. The advances made using clustering methods have been modest. We present an alternative, new strategy for dissecting autism heterogeneity, emphasizing incorporation of prototypical samples in research cohorts, comparison of subgroups defined by specific ranges of values for the clinical specifiers, and retesting the generality of neurobiological results considered to be acquired from the entire autism spectrum on prototypical cohorts defined by narrow specifiers values.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eya-Mist Rødgaard
- Department of Psychology, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark,.
| | - Ridha Joober
- Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H4H 1R3, Canada,.
| | - Guillaume Dumas
- Department of Psychiatry & Addictology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, H3T 1C5, Canada, Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada,.
| | - Danilo Bzdok
- Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, Montreal, Canada, Department of Biomedical Engineering, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 2B4, QC, Canada,.
| | - Boris Bernhardt
- Multimodal Imaging and Connectome Analysis Laboratory, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada,.
| | - Sebastien Jacquemont
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Montreal, Montréal, Quebec, H3T 1C5, Canada,.
| | - Laurent Mottron
- Department of Psychiatry & Addictology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, H3T 1C5, Canada, CIUSSS-NIM, Research Center, Montréal, QC, H1E 1A4, Canada,.
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8
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Chen Y, Tang E, Ding H, Zhang Y. Auditory Pitch Perception in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2022; 65:4866-4886. [PMID: 36450443 DOI: 10.1044/2022_jslhr-22-00254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Pitch plays an important role in auditory perception of music and language. This study provides a systematic review with meta-analysis to investigate whether individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have enhanced pitch processing ability and to identify the potential factors associated with processing differences between ASD and neurotypicals. METHOD We conducted a systematic search through six major electronic databases focusing on the studies that used nonspeech stimuli to provide a qualitative and quantitative assessment across existing studies on pitch perception in autism. We identified potential participant- and methodology-related moderators and conducted metaregression analyses using mixed-effects models. RESULTS On the basis of 22 studies with a total of 464 participants with ASD, we obtained a small-to-medium positive effect size (g = 0.26) in support of enhanced pitch perception in ASD. Moreover, the mean age and nonverbal IQ of participants were found to significantly moderate the between-studies heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides the first meta-analysis on auditory pitch perception in ASD and demonstrates the existence of different developmental trajectories between autistic individuals and neurotypicals. In addition to age, nonverbal ability is found to be a significant contributor to the lower level/local processing bias in ASD. We highlight the need for further investigation of pitch perception in ASD under challenging listening conditions. Future neurophysiological and brain imaging studies with a longitudinal design are also needed to better understand the underlying neural mechanisms of atypical pitch processing in ASD and to help guide auditory-based interventions for improving language and social functioning. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21614271.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Chen
- Speech-Language-Hearing Center, School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
| | - Enze Tang
- Speech-Language-Hearing Center, School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
| | - Hongwei Ding
- Speech-Language-Hearing Center, School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences and Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
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9
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Abstract
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder of unknown etiology. Recently, there has been a growing interest in sensory processing in autism as a core phenotype. However, basic questions remain unanswered. Here, we review the major findings and models of perception in autism and point to methodological issues that have led to conflicting results. We show that popular models of perception in autism, such as the reduced prior hypothesis, cannot explain the many and varied findings. To resolve these issues, we point to the benefits of using rigorous psychophysical methods to study perception in autism. We advocate for perceptual models that provide a detailed explanation of behavior while also taking into account factors such as context, learning, and attention. Furthermore, we demonstrate the importance of tracking changes over the course of development to reveal the causal pathways and compensatory mechanisms. Finally, we propose a developmental perceptual narrowing account of the condition. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Vision Science, Volume 8 is September 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bat-Sheva Hadad
- Department of Special Education and The Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel; ,
| | - Amit Yashar
- Department of Special Education and The Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel; ,
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10
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Roshini R, Jason B M, Marta I G. Increased context adjustment is associated with auditory sensitivities but not with autistic traits. Autism Res 2022; 15:1457-1468. [PMID: 35607992 PMCID: PMC9544519 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Bayesian models of autism suggest that alterations in context-sensitive prediction error weighting may underpin sensory perceptual alterations, such as hypersensitivities. We used an auditory oddball paradigm with pure tones arising from high or low uncertainty contexts to determine whether autistic individuals display differences in context adjustment relative to neurotypicals. We did not find group differences in early prediction error responses indexed by mismatch negativity. A dimensional approach revealed a positive correlation between context-dependent prediction errors and subjective reports of auditory sensitivities, but not with autistic traits. These findings suggest that autism studies may benefit from accounting for sensory sensitivities in group comparisons. LAY SUMMARY: We aimed to understand if autistic and non-autistic groups showed differences in their electrical brain activity measured by electroencephalography (EEG) when listening to surprising tones infrequently embedded in a statistical pattern. We found no differences between the autistic and the non-autistic group in their EEG response to the surprising sound even if the pattern switched, indicating their ability to learn a pattern. We did find that, as subjective sensory sensitivities (but not autistic traits) increased, there were increasingly large differences between the EEG responses to surprising tones that were embedded in the different statistical patterns of tones. These findings show that perceptual alterations may be a function of sensory sensitivities, but not necessarily autistic traits. We suggest that future EEG studies in autism may benefit from accounting for sensory sensitivities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Randeniya Roshini
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Mattingley Jason B
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Garrido Marta I
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.,Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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11
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Matsui T, Uchida M, Fujino H, Tojo Y, Hakarino K. Perception of native and non-native phonemic contrasts in children with autistic spectrum disorder: effects of speaker variability. CLINICAL LINGUISTICS & PHONETICS 2022; 36:417-435. [PMID: 34460348 DOI: 10.1080/02699206.2021.1947385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The current study investigated speech perception in children with ASD by directly comparing discrimination accuracy of phonemic contrasts in the native and non-native languages. The effect of speaker variability on phoneme perception was also examined. We also explored the relation between language impairment and accuracy in phoneme discrimination in children with ASD. Significant differences in performance were found between the ASD and TD groups on discrimination of the native phonemic contrasts. By contrast, no difference was found between the two groups on discrimination of the non-native phonemic contrasts. Further subgroup analysis revealed that the ALN group (ASD without language delay or impairment) showed significantly higher discrimination accuracy for the native syllable contrasts than the non-native counterpart. No significant difference was found in the discrimination accuracy between the native and non-native phonemic contrasts in the ALD group (ASD with language delay or impairment). The effect of speaker viability on phoneme discrimination was observed in the TD group but not in the ASD subgroups. Nonverbal reasoning ability was highly related to discrimination accuracy of both the native and non-native phonemic contrasts in children with ASD. The results of the present study suggest that speech perception in children with ASD is not as attuned to their native language as in their TD peers. Our findings also indicate that language delay or impairment is related to difficulty in perception of native phonemes in children with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoko Matsui
- Center for Research in International Education, Tokyo Gakugei University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mariko Uchida
- Center for Research in International Education, Tokyo Gakugei University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Fujino
- Graduate School for Teacher Education, Tokyo Gakugei University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshikuni Tojo
- College of Education, Ibaraki University, Ibaraki, Japan
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12
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Hernandez-Ruiz E, Qi R, Welsh E, Wampler M, Bradshaw L. Psychological and Neural Differences of Music Processing in Autistic Individuals: A Scoping Review. J Music Ther 2022; 59:87-124. [PMID: 34984456 DOI: 10.1093/jmt/thab020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Despite abundant research and clinical evidence of the effectiveness of music interventions for people in the autism spectrum, understanding of music processing in this community is limited. We explored whether research evidence of differences in music processing within the autistic community is available. We developed a scoping review to search for literature with the terms "music", "processing," and "autism" (and variants). We searched PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycInfo, Academic Search Complete, ERIC, and Music Index databases for a total of 10,857 articles, with 5,236 duplicates. The remaining 5,621 titles and abstracts were screened for eligibility by a team of four undergraduate and graduate students and the PI. Seventy-five studies were included for data extraction. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics regarding author, study, stimulus, and participant information, and a thematic analysis of outcome and findings. Our findings are preliminary given the emerging nature of the literature, the use of mostly non-musical auditory stimuli, passive listening experiences, and underreported demographics. However, the literature shows some evidence of differences in music processing for autistic individuals, including reduced habituation to non-musical and musical stimuli; truncated, delayed, or divergent developmental trajectories; and possible compensatory higher-order mechanisms that yield similar behavioral responses even in the presence of divergent neural correlates. Music therapists are encouraged to adopt a developmental perspective, not only of general skills, but specifically of music skill development in this community, and to extrapolate these findings with caution, given the current limitations in the evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenia Hernandez-Ruiz
- Music Therapy, School of Music, Dance and Theatre, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Ruowen Qi
- Music Therapy, School of Music, Dance and Theatre, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.,Department of Music, Nanjing Normal University of Special Education, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Emily Welsh
- Music Therapy, School of Music, Dance and Theatre, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Madelyn Wampler
- Music Therapy, School of Music, Dance and Theatre, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Liesel Bradshaw
- Music Therapy, School of Music, Dance and Theatre, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
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13
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Haigh SM, Brosseau P, Eack SM, Leitman DI, Salisbury DF, Behrmann M. Hyper-Sensitivity to Pitch and Poorer Prosody Processing in Adults With Autism: An ERP Study. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:844830. [PMID: 35693971 PMCID: PMC9174755 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.844830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Individuals with autism typically experience a range of symptoms, including abnormal sensory sensitivities. However, there are conflicting reports on the sensory profiles that characterize the sensory experience in autism that often depend on the type of stimulus. Here, we examine early auditory processing to simple changes in pitch and later auditory processing of more complex emotional utterances. We measured electroencephalography in 24 adults with autism and 28 controls. First, tones (1046.5Hz/C6, 1108.7Hz/C#6, or 1244.5Hz/D#6) were repeated three times or nine times before the pitch changed. Second, utterances of delight or frustration were repeated three or six times before the emotion changed. In response to the simple pitched tones, the autism group exhibited larger mismatch negativity (MMN) after nine standards compared to controls and produced greater trial-to-trial variability (TTV). In response to the prosodic utterances, the autism group showed smaller P3 responses when delight changed to frustration compared to controls. There was no significant correlation between ERPs to pitch and ERPs to prosody. Together, this suggests that early auditory processing is hyper-sensitive in autism whereas later processing of prosodic information is hypo-sensitive. The impact the different sensory profiles have on perceptual experience in autism may be key to identifying behavioral treatments to reduce symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Haigh
- Department of Psychology and Institute for Neuroscience, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, United States.,Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Pat Brosseau
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Shaun M Eack
- School of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - David I Leitman
- Division of Translational Research, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Dean F Salisbury
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Marlene Behrmann
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.,Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
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14
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Begum-Ali J, Kolesnik-Taylor A, Quiroz I, Mason L, Garg S, Green J, Johnson MH, Jones EJH. Early differences in auditory processing relate to Autism Spectrum Disorder traits in infants with Neurofibromatosis Type I. J Neurodev Disord 2021; 13:22. [PMID: 34049498 PMCID: PMC8161667 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-021-09364-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sensory modulation difficulties are common in children with conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and could contribute to other social and non-social symptoms. Positing a causal role for sensory processing differences requires observing atypical sensory reactivity prior to the emergence of other symptoms, which can be achieved through prospective studies. METHODS In this longitudinal study, we examined auditory repetition suppression and change detection at 5 and 10 months in infants with and without Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1), a condition associated with higher likelihood of developing ASD. RESULTS In typically developing infants, suppression to vowel repetition and enhanced responses to vowel/pitch change decreased with age over posterior regions, becoming more frontally specific; age-related change was diminished in the NF1 group. Whilst both groups detected changes in vowel and pitch, the NF1 group were largely slower to show a differentiated neural response. Auditory responses did not relate to later language, but were related to later ASD traits. CONCLUSIONS These findings represent the first demonstration of atypical brain responses to sounds in infants with NF1 and suggest they may relate to the likelihood of later ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jannath Begum-Ali
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, Henry Wellcome Building, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK.
| | - Anna Kolesnik-Taylor
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, Henry Wellcome Building, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Isabel Quiroz
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, Henry Wellcome Building, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK
| | - Luke Mason
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, Henry Wellcome Building, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK
| | - Shruti Garg
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Jonathan Green
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Mark H Johnson
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, Henry Wellcome Building, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Emily J H Jones
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, Henry Wellcome Building, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK.
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15
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Newman RS, Kirby LA, Von Holzen K, Redcay E. Read my lips! Perception of speech in noise by preschool children with autism and the impact of watching the speaker's face. J Neurodev Disord 2021; 13:4. [PMID: 33402099 PMCID: PMC7786476 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-020-09348-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Adults and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders show greater difficulties comprehending speech in the presence of noise. Moreover, while neurotypical adults use visual cues on the mouth to help them understand speech in background noise, differences in attention to human faces in autism may affect use of these visual cues. No work has yet examined these skills in toddlers with ASD, despite the fact that they are frequently faced with noisy, multitalker environments. Methods Children aged 2-5 years, both with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD), saw pairs of images in a preferential looking study and were instructed to look at one of the two objects. Sentences were presented in the presence of quiet or another background talker (noise). On half of the trials, the face of the target person speaking was presented, while half had no face present. Growth-curve modeling was used to examine the time course of children’s looking to the appropriate vs. opposite image. Results Noise impaired performance for both children with ASD and their age- and language-matched peers. When there was no face present on the screen, the effect of noise was generally similar across groups with and without ASD. But when the face was present, the noise had a more detrimental effect on children with ASD than their language-matched peers, suggesting neurotypical children were better able to use visual cues on the speaker’s face to aid performance. Moreover, those children with ASD who attended more to the speaker’s face showed better listening performance in the presence of noise. Conclusions Young children both with and without ASD show poorer performance comprehending speech in the presence of another talker than in quiet. However, results suggest that neurotypical children may be better able to make use of face cues to partially counteract the effects of noise. Children with ASD varied in their use of face cues, but those children who spent more time attending to the face of the target speaker appeared less disadvantaged by the presence of background noise, indicating a potential path for future interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rochelle S Newman
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland, 100 Lefrak Hall, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.
| | - Laura A Kirby
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland, 100 Lefrak Hall, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Katie Von Holzen
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland, 100 Lefrak Hall, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Elizabeth Redcay
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland, 100 Lefrak Hall, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
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16
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Perrino PA, Chamberlain SJ, Eigsti IM, Fitch RH. Communication-related assessments in an Angelman syndrome mouse model. Brain Behav 2021; 11:e01937. [PMID: 33151040 PMCID: PMC7821623 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by motor deficits, seizures, some autistic-like behaviors, and severe impairment of speech. A dysfunction of the maternally imprinted UBE3A gene, coupled with a functional yet silenced paternal copy, results in AS. Although studies of transgenic mouse models have revealed a great deal about neural populations and rescue timeframes for specific features of AS, these studies have largely failed to examine intermediate phenotypes that contribute to the profound communicative disabilities associated with AS. METHODS Here, we use a variety of tasks, including assessments of rapid auditory processing and social communication. Expressive vocalizations were directly assessed and correlated against other core behavioral measures (motor, social, acoustic perception) to model putative influences on communication. RESULTS AS mice displayed the characteristic phenotypes associated with Angelman syndrome (i.e., social and motor deficits), as well as marginal enhancements in rapid auditory processing ability. Our characterization of adult ultrasonic vocalizations further showed that AS mice produce fewer vocalizations and vocalized for a shorter amount of time when compared to controls. Additionally, a strong correlation between motor indices and ultrasonic vocalization output was shown, suggesting that the motor impairments in AS may contribute heavily to communication impairments. CONCLUSION In summary, the combination of motor deficits, social impairment, marginal rapid auditory enhancements, and altered ultrasonic vocalizations reported in a mouse model of AS clearly parallel the human symptoms of the disorder. This mouse model offers a novel route to interrogate the underlying genetic, physiologic, and behavioral influences on the under-studied topic of impaired communication in AS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter A Perrino
- Department of Psychological Science/Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Stormy J Chamberlain
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Inge-Marie Eigsti
- Department of Psychological Science/Clinical Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Roslyn Holly Fitch
- Department of Psychological Science/Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
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17
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Jaffe-Dax S, Eigsti IM. Perceptual inference is impaired in individuals with ASD and intact in individuals who have lost the autism diagnosis. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17085. [PMID: 33051465 PMCID: PMC7554034 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72896-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Beyond the symptoms which characterize their diagnoses, individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show enhanced performance in simple perceptual discrimination tasks. Often attributed to superior sensory sensitivities, enhanced performance may also reflect a weaker bias towards previously perceived stimuli. This study probes perceptual inference in a group of individuals who have lost the autism diagnosis (LAD); that is, they were diagnosed with ASD in early childhood but have no current ASD symptoms. Groups of LAD, current ASD, and typically developing (TD) participants completed an auditory discrimination task. Individuals with TD showed a bias towards previously perceived stimuli-a perceptual process called "contraction bias"; that is, their representation of a given tone was contracted towards the preceding trial stimulus in a manner that is Bayesian optimal. Similarly, individuals in the LAD group showed a contraction bias. In contrast, individuals with current ASD showed a weaker contraction bias, suggesting reduced perceptual inferencing. These findings suggest that changes that characterize LAD extend beyond the social and communicative symptoms of ASD, impacting perceptual domains. Measuring perceptual processing earlier in development in ASD will tap the causality between changes in perceptual and symptomatological domains. Further, the characterization of perceptual inference could reveal meaningful individual differences in complex high-level behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sagi Jaffe-Dax
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.
| | - Inge-Marie Eigsti
- Department of Psychological Sciences and Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
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18
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Courchesne V, Langlois V, Gregoire P, St-Denis A, Bouvet L, Ostrolenk A, Mottron L. Interests and Strengths in Autism, Useful but Misunderstood: A Pragmatic Case-Study. Front Psychol 2020; 11:569339. [PMID: 33123051 PMCID: PMC7573358 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.569339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Studies on autistic strengths are often focused on what they reveal about autistic intelligence and, in some cases, exceptional and atypical reasoning abilities. An emerging research trend has demonstrated how interests and strengths often evident in autism can be harnessed in interventions to promote the well-being, adaptive, academic and professional success of autistic people. However, abilities in certain domains may be accompanied by major limitations in others, as well as psychiatric and behavioral issues, which may challenge their inclusion in support programs. Objectives To provide an in-depth, pragmatic, real-life example of the psychological and psychiatric management of interests and strengths in an autistic adolescent. Method An autistic teenager, C.A., with above-average calendar calculation and musical abilities, received psychiatric, neuropsychological, and language standardized and clinical assessments, combined with a measurement of his musical and calendar calculation abilities. C.A. and his parents then received psychiatric and psychological support over a 14-month period, targeting their perceptions of C.A.'s interests, strengths, and co-occurring difficulties. Results C.A. had a verbal IQ within the intellectual disability range and a non-verbal IQ in the low mean range. Modest calendar calculation, absolute pitch, and matrix abilities coexisted with severe receptive and expressive language disorder. The discrepancy between his abilities in areas of strengths and his limitations in other domains led to anxiety, frustration, and sometimes behavioral issues. Displacing the focus from academic performance to interests, as well as promoting the use of his strengths to develop new skills independently of their short-term adaptive benefits yielded positive effects on C.A.'s self-assessment, quality of life, and behavior at follow up. Discussion The appealing idea that abilities mostly found in autistic people, such as calendar calculation, can be directly harnessed into academic achievement and lead to paid employment may have detrimental effects, especially when such abilities are modest and associated with other limitations. These abilities should be primarily used to maximize well-being and quality of life, independently of their short-term adaptive function, which may or may not be positive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valérie Courchesne
- Centre de Recherche, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux du Nord-de-l'ïle-de-Montréal - CIUSSSNIM, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Véronique Langlois
- Centre de Recherche, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux du Nord-de-l'ïle-de-Montréal - CIUSSSNIM, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Psychoeducation and Psychology, University of Quebec in Outaouais, Gatineau, QC, Canada
| | - Pascale Gregoire
- Department of Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Sector, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux du Nord-de-l'ïle-de-Montréal - CIUSSSNIM, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Ariane St-Denis
- Speech Therapy Department, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Lucie Bouvet
- Laboratoire Centre d'Études et de Recherches en Psychopathologie et Psychologie de la Santé (CERPPS), Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès, Toulouse, France
| | - Alexia Ostrolenk
- Centre de Recherche, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux du Nord-de-l'ïle-de-Montréal - CIUSSSNIM, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Laurent Mottron
- Centre de Recherche, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux du Nord-de-l'ïle-de-Montréal - CIUSSSNIM, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
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19
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Kopec J, Hagmann C, Shea N, Prawl A, Batkin D, Russo N. Examining the Temporal Limits of Enhanced Visual Feature Detection in Children With Autism. Autism Res 2020; 13:1561-1572. [PMID: 32896996 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Revised: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The enhanced perceptual processing of visual features in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is supported by an abundance of evidence in the spatial domain, with less robust evidence regarding whether this extends to information presented across time. The current study aimed to replicate and extend previous work finding that children with an ASD demonstrated enhanced perceptual accuracy in detecting feature-based (but not categorically defined) targets in time, when these were presented quickly, at a stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) of 50 ms per item. Specifically, we extend the range of SOAs to examine the temporal boundaries of this enhanced accuracy and examine whether there is a relationship between ASD-related traits and detection accuracy on temporal visual search tasks. Individuals with autism perceived feature-based targets with statistically higher accuracy than their typically developing peers between SOAs of 39 and 65 ms and were numerically faster at all SOAs. No group differences were noted for category-based task accuracy. Our results also demonstrated that ASD-related traits measured by the autism spectrum quotient were positively correlated with accuracy on the feature-based task. Overall, results suggest that accurate visual perception of features (particularly color) is enhanced in children with ASD across time. LAY SUMMARY: Our results suggest that children with autism are able to process visual features, such as color, more accurately than typically developing children, even when these are presented very rapidly. Accuracy was higher in children with higher levels of autism-related traits and symptoms. Our findings suggest that more accurate visual perception exists not only across space in children with autism, as much of the existing literature demonstrates, but also over time. Autism Res 2020, 13: 1561-1572. © 2020 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Kopec
- Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Carl Hagmann
- Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Nicole Shea
- Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Alyssa Prawl
- Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Daniel Batkin
- Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Natalie Russo
- Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
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20
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Russell G, Kapp SK, Elliott D, Elphick C, Gwernan-Jones R, Owens C. Mapping the Autistic Advantage from the Accounts of Adults Diagnosed with Autism: A Qualitative Study. AUTISM IN ADULTHOOD 2019; 1:124-133. [PMID: 31058260 PMCID: PMC6493410 DOI: 10.1089/aut.2018.0035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Background: Autism has been associated with specific cognitive strengths. Strengths and weaknesses have traditionally been conceptualized as dichotomous. Methods: We conducted 28 semi-structured interviews with autistic adults. Maximum variation sampling was used to ensure diversity in relation to support needs. We asked which personal traits adults attributed to their autism, and how these have helped in the workplace, in relationships, and beyond. Data were collected in two stages. Responses were analyzed using content and thematic techniques. Results: The ability to hyperfocus, attention to detail, good memory, and creativity were the most frequently described traits. Participants also described specific qualities relating to social interaction, such as honesty, loyalty, and empathy for animals or for other autistic people. In thematic analysis we found that traits associated with autism could be experienced either as advantageous or disadvantageous dependent on moderating influences. Moderating influences included the social context in which behaviors occurred, the ability to control behaviors, and the extent to which traits were expressed. Conclusions: Separating autistic strengths from weaknesses may be a false dichotomy if traits cannot be isolated as separate constructs of strengths or deficits. If attempts to isolate problematic traits from advantageous traits are ill conceived, there may be implications for interventions that have reduction in autistic traits as a primary outcome measure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ginny Russell
- College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Steven K Kapp
- College of Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology, Social Science and International Studies, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Daisy Elliott
- College of Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology, Social Science and International Studies, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Chris Elphick
- College of Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology, Social Science and International Studies, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Ruth Gwernan-Jones
- College of Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology, Social Science and International Studies, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Christabel Owens
- College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
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21
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Rendall AR, Perrino PA, Buscarello AN, Fitch RH. Shank3B mutant mice display pitch discrimination enhancements and learning deficits. Int J Dev Neurosci 2018; 72:13-21. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2018.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Revised: 10/21/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda R. Rendall
- Yale University School of Medicine, Pediatrics464 Congress AveNew Haven06520‐8055CTUSA
- University of Connecticut, Psychology‐Behavioral Neuroscience406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020 StorrsMansfield06269CTUSA
| | - Peter A. Perrino
- University of Connecticut, Psychology‐Behavioral Neuroscience406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020 StorrsMansfield06269CTUSA
| | - Alexzandrea N. Buscarello
- University of Connecticut, Psychology‐Behavioral Neuroscience406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020 StorrsMansfield06269CTUSA
| | - R. Holly Fitch
- University of Connecticut, Psychology‐Behavioral Neuroscience406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020 StorrsMansfield06269CTUSA
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22
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Distinct ERP profiles for auditory processing in infants at-risk for autism and language impairment. Sci Rep 2018; 8:715. [PMID: 29335488 PMCID: PMC5768787 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-19009-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 12/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Early identification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is crucial for the formulation of effective intervention programs. Language deficits may be a hallmark feature of ASD and language delay observed in ASD shows striking similarities to that observed in children with language impairment (LI). Auditory processing deficits are seen in both LI and ASD, however, they have not previously been compared directly using Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) in the two at-risk populations. This study aims to characterize infants at-risk for ASD (HR-ASD) at the electrophysiological level and to compare them with infants at-risk for LI (HR-LI) and controls, to find specific markers with predictive value. At 12-month-old, auditory processing in HR-ASD, HR-LI and controls was characterized via ERP oddball paradigm. All infants were then evaluated at 20 months, to investigate the associations between auditory processing and language/ASD-related outcomes. In both HR-ASD and HR-LI, mismatch response latency was delayed compared to controls, whereas only HR-ASD showed overall larger P3 amplitude compared to controls. Interestingly, these ERP measures correlated with later expressive vocabulary and M-CHAT critical items in the whole sample. These results may support the use of objective measurement of auditory processing to delineate pathophysiological mechanisms in ASD, as compared to LI.
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23
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Iverson JM, Northrup JB, Leezenbaum NB, Parladé MV, Koterba EA, West KL. Early Gesture and Vocabulary Development in Infant Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2018; 48:55-71. [PMID: 28900778 PMCID: PMC5831718 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-017-3297-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
This study examined longitudinal growth in gestures and words in infants at heightened (HR) versus low risk (LR) for ASD. The MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory was administered monthly from 8 to 14 months and at 18 and 24 months to caregivers of 14 HR infants diagnosed with ASD (HR-ASD), 27 HR infants with language delay (HR-LD), 51 HR infants with no diagnosis (HR-ND), and 28 LR infants. Few differences were obtained between LR and HR-ND infants, but HR-LD and HR-ASD groups differed in initial skill levels and growth patterns. While HR-LD infants grew at rates comparable to LR and HR-ND infants, growth was attenuated in the HR-ASD group, with trajectories progressively diverging from all other groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana M Iverson
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, 3415 Sennott Square, 210 S. Bouquet St., Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.
| | - Jessie B Northrup
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, 3137 Sennott Square, 210 S. Bouquet St., Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Nina B Leezenbaum
- TEACCH Autism Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7180 UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Meaghan V Parladé
- Department of Psychology, Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, University of Miami, P.O. Box 248768, 5665 Ponce de Leon Blvd, Miami, FL, 33124-0725, USA
| | - Erin A Koterba
- Department of Psychology, College of Social Sciences, Mathematics, and Education, University of Tampa, PH 315, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Box Q, Tampa, FL, 33606, USA
| | - Kelsey L West
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, 3137 Sennott Square, 210 S. Bouquet St., Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
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24
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Thye MD, Bednarz HM, Herringshaw AJ, Sartin EB, Kana RK. The impact of atypical sensory processing on social impairments in autism spectrum disorder. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2018; 29:151-167. [PMID: 28545994 PMCID: PMC6987885 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2017.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 212] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2016] [Revised: 02/25/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Altered sensory processing has been an important feature of the clinical descriptions of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There is evidence that sensory dysregulation arises early in the progression of ASD and impacts social functioning. This paper reviews behavioral and neurobiological evidence that describes how sensory deficits across multiple modalities (vision, hearing, touch, olfaction, gustation, and multisensory integration) could impact social functions in ASD. Theoretical models of ASD and their implications for the relationship between sensory and social functioning are discussed. Furthermore, neural differences in anatomy, function, and connectivity of different regions underlying sensory and social processing are also discussed. We conclude that there are multiple mechanisms through which early sensory dysregulation in ASD could cascade into social deficits across development. Future research is needed to clarify these mechanisms, and specific focus should be given to distinguish between deficits in primary sensory processing and altered top-down attentional and cognitive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa D Thye
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, United States
| | - Haley M Bednarz
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, United States
| | - Abbey J Herringshaw
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, United States
| | - Emma B Sartin
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, United States
| | - Rajesh K Kana
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, United States.
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25
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Lambrechts A, Falter-Wagner CM, van Wassenhove V. Diminished neural resources allocation to time processing in Autism Spectrum Disorders. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2017; 17:124-136. [PMID: 29085774 PMCID: PMC5650680 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2017.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2017] [Revised: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Background Interval timing, the ability to judge the duration of short events, has been shown to be compromised in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Timing abilities are ubiquitous and underlie behaviours as varied as sensory integration, motor coordination or communication. It has been suggested that atypical temporal processing in ASD could contribute to some of the disorder's symptoms, in particular motor clumsiness and difficulties in social interaction and communication. Recent behavioural investigations have suggested that interval timing in ASD is characterised by intact sensitivity but reduced precision in duration judgements. Methods In this study we investigated the processing of duration as compared to pitch in a group of high-functioning individuals with ASD using magnetoencephalography (MEG). 18 adolescents and adults with ASD and 18 age- and IQ-matched typically-developing control (TDC) individuals compared two consecutive tones according to their duration or pitch in separate experimental blocks. The analysis was carried out exclusively on physically identical stimuli (500 Hz tones lasting 600 ms), which served, according to instruction, as standard or probe in a Duration or Pitch task respectively. Results Our results suggest that compared to TDC individuals, individuals with ASD are less able to predict the duration of the standard tone accurately, affecting the sensitivity of the comparison process. In addition, contrary to TDC individuals who allocate resources at different times depending on the nature of the task (pitch or duration discrimination), individuals with ASD seem to engage less resources for the Duration task than for the Pitch task regardless of the context. Although individuals with ASD showed top-down adaptation to the context of the task, this neuronal strategy reflects a bias in the readiness to perform different types of tasks, and in particular a diminished allocation of resources to duration processing which could have cascading effect on learning and development of other cognitive functions. We investigated MEG response associated with duration or pitch comparison in ASD. We found lower sensitivity for duration discrimination behaviourally in ASD. ASD adults are less able to predict the offset of a standard tone. ASD adults engage less neural resources in duration than pitch discrimination task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Lambrechts
- Autism Research Group, Department of Psychology, City University London, United Kingdom.
| | - Christine M Falter-Wagner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy and Institute of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Germany.
| | - Virginie van Wassenhove
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DRF/Joliot/NeuroSpin, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France.
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Iao LS, Wippich A, Lam YH. Brief Report: Discrimination of Foreign Speech Pitch and Autistic Traits in Non-Clinical Population. J Autism Dev Disord 2017; 48:284-289. [PMID: 28889325 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-017-3298-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Individuals with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) are widely suggested to show enhanced perceptual discrimination but inconsistent findings have been reported for pitch discrimination. Given the high variability in ASC, this study investigated whether ASC traits were correlated with pitch discrimination in an undergraduate sample when musical and language experiences were taken into consideration. Results indicated that the social skills subscale of the Autism Spectrum Quotient was associated with foreign speech pitch discrimination, suggesting that individuals who were less sociable and socially skillful were less able to discriminate foreign speech pitch. Current findings have an implication in investigating individual differences in ASC and further investigation is needed for spelling out the relationship between the non-social and social aspects of ASC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lai-Sang Iao
- Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, 50 Shakespeare Street, Nottingham, NG1 4FQ, UK.
| | - Anna Wippich
- Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, 50 Shakespeare Street, Nottingham, NG1 4FQ, UK
| | - Yu Hin Lam
- Department of Educational and Psychological Studies, College of Education, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
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Rendall AR, Ford AL, Perrino PA, Holly Fitch R. Auditory processing enhancements in the TS2-neo mouse model of Timothy Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder associated with autism spectrum disorders. ADVANCES IN NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS 2017; 1:176-189. [PMID: 29159279 PMCID: PMC5693350 DOI: 10.1007/s41252-017-0029-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda R. Rendall
- Department of Psychology/Behavioral Neuroscience and Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, 406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020, Storrs, CT 06269
| | - Aiden L. Ford
- Department of Psychology/Behavioral Neuroscience and Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, 406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020, Storrs, CT 06269
| | - Peter A. Perrino
- Department of Psychology/Behavioral Neuroscience and Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, 406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020, Storrs, CT 06269
| | - R. Holly Fitch
- Department of Psychology/Behavioral Neuroscience and Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, 406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020, Storrs, CT 06269
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Chowdhury R, Sharda M, Foster NEV, Germain E, Tryfon A, Doyle-Thomas K, Anagnostou E, Hyde KL. Auditory Pitch Perception in Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Associated With Nonverbal Abilities. Perception 2017; 46:1298-1320. [PMID: 28683588 DOI: 10.1177/0301006617718715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Atypical sensory perception and heterogeneous cognitive profiles are common features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, previous findings on auditory sensory processing in ASD are mixed. Accordingly, auditory perception and its relation to cognitive abilities in ASD remain poorly understood. Here, children with ASD, and age- and intelligence quotient (IQ)-matched typically developing children, were tested on a low- and a higher level pitch processing task. Verbal and nonverbal cognitive abilities were measured using the Wechsler's Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence. There were no group differences in performance on either auditory task or IQ measure. However, there was significant variability in performance on the auditory tasks in both groups that was predicted by nonverbal, not verbal skills. These results suggest that auditory perception is related to nonverbal reasoning rather than verbal abilities in ASD and typically developing children. In addition, these findings provide evidence for preserved pitch processing in school-age children with ASD with average IQ, supporting the idea that there may be a subgroup of individuals with ASD that do not present perceptual or cognitive difficulties. Future directions involve examining whether similar perceptual-cognitive relationships might be observed in a broader sample of individuals with ASD, such as those with language impairment or lower IQ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rakhee Chowdhury
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Megha Sharda
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Nicholas E V Foster
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Esther Germain
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Ana Tryfon
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research, Montréal, QC, Canada; Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Krissy Doyle-Thomas
- Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Evdokia Anagnostou
- Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Krista L Hyde
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research, Montréal, QC, Canada; Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
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Resilience and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Applying Developmental Psychopathology to Optimal Outcome. REVIEW JOURNAL OF AUTISM AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s40489-017-0106-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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Arunachalam S, Luyster RJ. The integrity of lexical acquisition mechanisms in autism spectrum disorders: A research review. Autism Res 2016; 9:810-28. [PMID: 26688218 PMCID: PMC4916034 DOI: 10.1002/aur.1590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2015] [Accepted: 11/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Research on autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has rapidly expanded in recent years, yielding important developments in both theory and practice. While we have gained important insights into how children with ASD differ from typically developing (TD) children in terms of phenotypic features, less has been learned about if and how development in ASD differs from typical development in terms of underlying mechanisms of change. This article aims to provide a review of processes subserving lexical development in ASD, with the goal of identifying contributing factors to the heterogeneity of language outcomes in ASD. The focus is on available evidence of the integrity or disruption of these mechanisms in ASD, as well as their significance for vocabulary development; topics include early speech perception and preference, speech segmentation, word learning, and category formation. Significant gaps in the literature are identified and future directions are suggested. Autism Res 2016, 9: 810-828. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudha Arunachalam
- Dept. of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, Boston University, 635 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215
| | - Rhiannon J. Luyster
- Communication Sciences and Disorders, Emerson College, 120 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02116
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Abstract
A suite of recent studies has reported positive genetic correlations between autism risk and measures of mental ability. These findings indicate that alleles for autism overlap broadly with alleles for high intelligence, which appears paradoxical given that autism is characterized, overall, by below-average IQ. This paradox can be resolved under the hypothesis that autism etiology commonly involves enhanced, but imbalanced, components of intelligence. This hypothesis is supported by convergent evidence showing that autism and high IQ share a diverse set of convergent correlates, including large brain size, fast brain growth, increased sensory and visual-spatial abilities, enhanced synaptic functions, increased attentional focus, high socioeconomic status, more deliberative decision-making, profession and occupational interests in engineering and physical sciences, and high levels of positive assortative mating. These findings help to provide an evolutionary basis to understanding autism risk as underlain in part by dysregulation of intelligence, a core human-specific adaptation. In turn, integration of studies on intelligence with studies of autism should provide novel insights into the neurological and genetic causes of high mental abilities, with important implications for cognitive enhancement, artificial intelligence, the relationship of autism with schizophrenia, and the treatment of both autism and intellectual disability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard J Crespi
- Department of Biological Sciences and Human Evolutionary Studies Program, Simon Fraser University Burnaby, BC, Canada
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32
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Yu L, Fan Y, Deng Z, Huang D, Wang S, Zhang Y. Pitch Processing in Tonal-Language-Speaking Children with Autism: An Event-Related Potential Study. J Autism Dev Disord 2016; 45:3656-67. [PMID: 26111738 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-015-2510-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
The present study investigated pitch processing in Mandarin-speaking children with autism using event-related potential measures. Two experiments were designed to test how acoustic, phonetic and semantic properties of the stimuli contributed to the neural responses for pitch change detection and involuntary attentional orienting. In comparison with age-matched (6-12 years) typically developing controls (16 participants in Experiment 1, 18 in Experiment 2), children with autism (18 participants in Experiment 1, 16 in Experiment 2) showed enhanced neural discriminatory sensitivity in the nonspeech conditions but not for speech stimuli. The results indicate domain specificity of enhanced pitch processing in autism, which may interfere with lexical tone acquisition and language development for children who speak a tonal language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luodi Yu
- School of Psychology and Center for the Study of Applied Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Yuebo Fan
- Guangzhou Rehabilitation and Research Center for Children with Autism, Guangzhou Cana School, Guangzhou, 510540, China
| | - Zhizhou Deng
- School of Psychology and Center for the Study of Applied Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China
| | - Dan Huang
- Guangzhou Rehabilitation and Research Center for Children with Autism, Guangzhou Cana School, Guangzhou, 510540, China
| | - Suiping Wang
- School of Psychology and Center for the Study of Applied Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
- Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
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Pierce K, Marinero S, Hazin R, McKenna B, Barnes CC, Malige A. Eye Tracking Reveals Abnormal Visual Preference for Geometric Images as an Early Biomarker of an Autism Spectrum Disorder Subtype Associated With Increased Symptom Severity. Biol Psychiatry 2016; 79:657-66. [PMID: 25981170 PMCID: PMC4600640 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.03.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 180] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2014] [Revised: 03/13/2015] [Accepted: 03/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clinically and biologically, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is heterogeneous. Unusual patterns of visual preference as indexed by eye tracking are hallmarks; however, whether they can be used to define an early biomarker of ASD as a whole or leveraged to define a subtype is unclear. To begin to examine this issue, large cohorts are required. METHODS A sample of 334 toddlers from six distinct groups (115 toddlers with ASD, 20 toddlers with ASD features, 57 toddlers with developmental delay, 53 toddlers with other conditions [e.g., premature birth, prenatal drug exposure], 64 toddlers with typical development, and 25 unaffected toddlers with siblings with ASD) was studied. Toddlers watched a movie containing geometric and social images. Fixation duration and number of saccades within each area of interest and validation statistics for this independent sample were computed. Next, to maximize power, data from our previous study (n = 110) were added for a total of 444 subjects. A subset of toddlers repeated the eye-tracking procedure. RESULTS As in the original study, a subset of toddlers with ASD fixated on geometric images >69% of the time. Using this cutoff, sensitivity for ASD was 21%, specificity was 98%, and positive predictive value was 86%. Toddlers with ASD who strongly preferred geometric images had 1) worse cognitive, language, and social skills relative to toddlers with ASD who strongly preferred social images and 2) fewer saccades when viewing geometric images. Unaffected siblings of ASD probands did not show evidence of heightened preference for geometric images. Test-retest reliability was good. Examination of age effects suggested that this test may not be appropriate with children >4 years old. CONCLUSIONS Enhanced visual preference for geometric repetition may be an early developmental biomarker of an ASD subtype with more severe symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Pierce
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California..
| | - Steven Marinero
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Roxana Hazin
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Benjamin McKenna
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Cynthia Carter Barnes
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Ajith Malige
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
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Eigsti IM, Stevens MC, Schultz RT, Barton M, Kelley E, Naigles L, Orinstein A, Troyb E, Fein DA. Language comprehension and brain function in individuals with an optimal outcome from autism. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2015; 10:182-91. [PMID: 26862477 PMCID: PMC4707189 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2015.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2015] [Revised: 09/23/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Although Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is generally a lifelong disability, a minority of individuals with ASD overcome their symptoms to such a degree that they are generally indistinguishable from their typically-developing peers. That is, they have achieved an Optimal Outcome (OO). The question addressed by the current study is whether this normalized behavior reflects normalized brain functioning, or alternatively, the action of compensatory systems. Either possibility is plausible, as most participants with OO received years of intensive therapy that could alter brain networks to align with typical function or work around ASD-related neural dysfunction. Individuals ages 8 to 21 years with high-functioning ASD (n = 23), OO (n = 16), or typical development (TD; n = 20) completed a functional MRI scan while performing a sentence comprehension task. Results indicated similar activations in frontal and temporal regions (left middle frontal, left supramarginal, and right superior temporal gyri) and posterior cingulate in OO and ASD groups, where both differed from the TD group. Furthermore, the OO group showed heightened “compensatory” activation in numerous left- and right-lateralized regions (left precentral/postcentral gyri, right precentral gyrus, left inferior parietal lobule, right supramarginal gyrus, left superior temporal/parahippocampal gyrus, left middle occipital gyrus) and cerebellum, relative to both ASD and TD groups. Behaviorally normalized language abilities in OO individuals appear to utilize atypical brain networks, with increased recruitment of language-specific as well as right homologue and other systems. Early intensive learning and experience may normalize behavioral language performance in OO, but some brain regions involved in language processing may continue to display characteristics that are more similar to ASD than typical development, while others show characteristics not like ASD or typical development. fMRI study of "optimal outcome" (OO) youth with no symptoms of autism spectrum disorder. Results show “compensatory” language activation in some areas in OO. OO youth also had some “residual ASD” patterns of activation (OO, ASD > TD). There was no evidence of areas of normalized brain function (OO, TD ≠ ASD). Early treatment may normalize behavior but not brain in some individuals with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inge-Marie Eigsti
- Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | | | - Robert T Schultz
- Center for Autism Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Marianne Barton
- Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Elizabeth Kelley
- Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Letitia Naigles
- Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Alyssa Orinstein
- Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Eva Troyb
- Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Deborah A Fein
- Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
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Fitch A, Fein DA, Eigsti IM. Detail and gestalt focus in individuals with optimal outcomes from autism spectrum disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 2015; 45:1887-96. [PMID: 25563455 PMCID: PMC4442733 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-014-2347-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Individuals with high-functioning autism (HFA) have a cognitive style that privileges local over global or gestalt details. While not a core symptom of autism, individuals with HFA seem to reliably show this bias. Our lab has been studying a sample of children who have overcome their early ASD diagnoses, showing "optimal outcomes" (OO). This study characterizes performance by OO, HFA, and typically developing (TD) adolescents as they describe paintings under cognitive load. Analyses of detail focus in painting descriptions indicated that the HFA group displayed significantly more local focus than both OO and TD groups, while the OO and TD groups did not differ. We discuss implications for the centrality of detail focus to the autism diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison Fitch
- Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut, 406 Babbidge Road, U-1020, Storrs, CT, 06269-1020, USA
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Courchesne V, Meilleur AAS, Poulin-Lord MP, Dawson M, Soulières I. Autistic children at risk of being underestimated: school-based pilot study of a strength-informed assessment. Mol Autism 2015; 6:12. [PMID: 25774281 PMCID: PMC4359559 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-015-0006-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2014] [Accepted: 02/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background An important minority of school-aged autistic children, often characterized as ‘nonverbal’ or ‘minimally verbal,’ displays little or no spoken language. These children are at risk of being judged ‘low-functioning’ or ‘untestable’ via conventional cognitive testing practices. One neglected avenue for assessing autistic children so situated is to engage current knowledge of autistic cognitive strengths. Our aim was thus to pilot a strength-informed assessment of autistic children whose poor performance on conventional instruments suggests their cognitive potential is very limited. Methods Thirty autistic children (6 to 12 years) with little or no spoken language, attending specialized schools for autistic children with the highest levels of impairment, were assessed using Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV), Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices board form (RCPM), Children’s Embedded Figures Test (CEFT), and a visual search task. An age-matched control group of 27 typical children was also assessed. Results None of the autistic children could complete WISC-IV; only six completed any subtest. In contrast, 26 autistic children could complete RCPM, with 17 scoring between the 5th and 90th percentile. Twenty-seven autistic children completed the visual search task, while 26 completed CEFT, on which autistic children were faster than RCPM-matched typical children. Autistic performance on RCPM, CEFT, and visual search were correlated. Conclusion These results indicate that ‘minimally verbal’ or ‘nonverbal’ school-aged autistic children may be at risk of being underestimated: they may be wrongly regarded as having little cognitive potential. Our findings support the usefulness of strength-informed approaches to autism and have important implications for the assessment and education of autistic children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valérie Courchesne
- Rivière-des-prairies Hospital, Centre d'Excellence en Troubles Envahissants du Développement de l'Université de Montréal (CETEDUM), 7070 boulevard Perras, Montréal, QC H1E 1A4 Canada
| | - Andrée-Anne S Meilleur
- Rivière-des-prairies Hospital, Centre d'Excellence en Troubles Envahissants du Développement de l'Université de Montréal (CETEDUM), 7070 boulevard Perras, Montréal, QC H1E 1A4 Canada
| | - Marie-Pier Poulin-Lord
- Rivière-des-prairies Hospital, Centre d'Excellence en Troubles Envahissants du Développement de l'Université de Montréal (CETEDUM), 7070 boulevard Perras, Montréal, QC H1E 1A4 Canada
| | - Michelle Dawson
- Rivière-des-prairies Hospital, Centre d'Excellence en Troubles Envahissants du Développement de l'Université de Montréal (CETEDUM), 7070 boulevard Perras, Montréal, QC H1E 1A4 Canada
| | - Isabelle Soulières
- Rivière-des-prairies Hospital, Centre d'Excellence en Troubles Envahissants du Développement de l'Université de Montréal (CETEDUM), 7070 boulevard Perras, Montréal, QC H1E 1A4 Canada ; Psychology Department, Université du Québec à Montréal, C.P. 8888 succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, H3C 3P8 Canada
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Linking neocortical, cognitive, and genetic variability in autism with alterations of brain plasticity: the Trigger-Threshold-Target model. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 47:735-52. [PMID: 25155242 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2013] [Revised: 07/02/2014] [Accepted: 07/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The phenotype of autism involves heterogeneous adaptive traits (strengths vs. disabilities), different domains of alterations (social vs. non-social), and various associated genetic conditions (syndromic vs. nonsyndromic autism). Three observations suggest that alterations in experience-dependent plasticity are an etiological factor in autism: (1) the main cognitive domains enhanced in autism are controlled by the most plastic cortical brain regions, the multimodal association cortices; (2) autism and sensory deprivation share several features of cortical and functional reorganization; and (3) genetic mutations and/or environmental insults involved in autism all appear to affect developmental synaptic plasticity, and mostly lead to its upregulation. We present the Trigger-Threshold-Target (TTT) model of autism to organize these findings. In this model, genetic mutations trigger brain reorganization in individuals with a low plasticity threshold, mostly within regions sensitive to cortical reallocations. These changes account for the cognitive enhancements and reduced social expertise associated with autism. Enhanced but normal plasticity may underlie non-syndromic autism, whereas syndromic autism may occur when a triggering mutation or event produces an altered plastic reaction, also resulting in intellectual disability and dysmorphism in addition to autism. Differences in the target of brain reorganization (perceptual vs. language regions) account for the main autistic subgroups. In light of this model, future research should investigate how individual and sex-related differences in synaptic/regional brain plasticity influence the occurrence of autism.
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