Visual attention to faces in children with autism spectrum disorder: are there sex differences?

Molecular Autism

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[1] 0000 0001 2151 7939, grid.267323.1, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas–Dallas, 75080, Richardson, TX, USA;0000 0001 2297 6811, grid.266102.1, STAR Center for ASD and NDDs, University of California San Francisco, 94143, San Francisco, CA, USA;0000000122483208, grid.10698.36, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 27599, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;0000000122483208, grid.10698.36, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Allied Health Sciences, Bondurant Hall, 27599, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;Center for Autism Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Roberts Center for Pediatric Research, 19146, Philadelphia, PA, USA;0000 0004 1936 8972, grid.25879.31, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 19104, Philadelphia, PA, USA;

关键词: Autism spectrum disorder;    Sex differences;    Social cognition;    Eye gaze;    Social attention;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13229-019-0276-2

来源: publisher

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe male bias in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses is well documented. As a result, less is known about the female ASD phenotype. Recent research suggests that conclusions drawn from predominantly male samples may not accurately capture female behavior. In this study, we explore potential sex differences in attention to social stimuli, which is generally reported to be diminished in ASD. Population-based sex differences in attention to faces have been reported, such that typically developing (TD) females attend more to social stimuli (including faces) from infancy through adulthood than TD males. It is yet unknown whether population-based sex differences in the face domain are preserved in ASD.MethodsA dynamic, naturalistic infrared eye-tracking paradigm measured attention to social stimuli (faces) in 74 school-aged males and females with ASD (male N = 23; female N = 19) and without ASD (male N = 16; female N = 16). Two kinds of video stimuli were presented that varied in social content: rich social scenes (dyadic play between two children) and lean social scenes (parallel play by two children).ResultsResults revealed a significant 3-way interaction between sex, diagnosis, and condition after controlling for chronological and mental age. ASD females attended more to faces than ASD males in the socially lean condition. This effect was not found in the typically developing (TD) group. ASD males attended less to faces regardless of social context; however, ASD females only attended significantly less to faces compared to TD females in the socially rich condition. TD males and ASD females did not differ in their attention to faces in either condition.ConclusionsThis study has implications for how the field understands core social deficits in children with ASD, which should ideally be benchmarked against same-sex peers (male and female). Social attention in ASD females fell on a continuum—greater than their ASD male peers, but not as great as TD females. Overall, their social attention mirrored that of TD males. Improved understanding of the female social phenotype in ASD will enhance early screening and diagnostic efforts and will guide the development of sex-sensitive experimental paradigms and social interventions.

【 授权许可】

CC BY