ERIC Number: EJ747801
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Feb
Pages: 12
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0162-3257
EISSN: N/A
Subjective Perceptual Distortions and Visual Dysfunction in Children with Autism
Davis, Rebecca A. O.; Bockbrader, Marcia A.; Murphy, Robin R.; Hetrick, William P.; O'Donnell, Brian F.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, v36 n2 p199-210 Feb 2006
Case reports and sensory inventories suggest that autism involves sensory processing anomalies. Behavioral tests indicate impaired motion and normal form perception in autism. The present study used first-person accounts to investigate perceptual anomalies and related subjective to psychophysical measures. Nine high-functioning children with autism and nine typically-developing children were given a questionnaire to assess the frequency of sensory anomalies, as well as psychophysical tests of visual perception. Results indicated that children with autism experience increased perceptual anomalies, deficits in trajectory discrimination consistent with dysfunction in the cortical dorsal pathway or in cerebellar midsagittal vermis, and high spatial frequency contrast impairments consistent with dysfunctional parvocellular processing. Subjective visual hypersensitivity was significantly related to greater deficits across vision tests.
Descriptors: Autism, Perceptual Impairments, Children, Questionnaires, Visual Perception, Vision Tests, Visual Discrimination, Measures (Individuals), Congenital Impairments, Perception Tests, Sensory Integration
Springer. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: service-ny@springer.com; Web site: http://www.springerlink.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A