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Attention to Eyes is Present But in Decline in 2–6 Month-Olds Later Diagnosed with Autism
Deficits in eye contact have been a hallmark of autism(1,2) since the condition’s initial description(3). They are cited widely as a diagnostic feature(4) and figure prominently in clinical instruments(5); however, the early onset of these deficits has not been known. Here we show in a prospective l...
Autores principales: | , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
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2013
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Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4035120/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24196715 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature12715 |
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author | Jones, Warren Klin, Ami |
author_facet | Jones, Warren Klin, Ami |
author_sort | Jones, Warren |
collection | PubMed |
description | Deficits in eye contact have been a hallmark of autism(1,2) since the condition’s initial description(3). They are cited widely as a diagnostic feature(4) and figure prominently in clinical instruments(5); however, the early onset of these deficits has not been known. Here we show in a prospective longitudinal study that infants later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) exhibit mean decline in eye fixation within the first 2 to 6 months of life, a pattern not observed in infants who do not develop ASD. These observations mark the earliest known indicators of social disability in infancy, but also falsify a prior hypothesis: in the first months of life, this basic mechanism of social adaptive action—eye looking—is not immediately diminished in infants later diagnosed with ASD; instead, eye looking appears to begin at normative levels prior to decline. The timing of decline highlights a narrow developmental window and reveals the early derailment of processes that would otherwise play a key role in canalizing typical social development. Finally, the observation of this decline in eye fixation—rather than outright absence—offers a promising opportunity for early intervention, one that could build on the apparent preservation of mechanisms subserving reflexive initial orientation towards the eyes. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-4035120 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2013 |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-40351202014-06-19 Attention to Eyes is Present But in Decline in 2–6 Month-Olds Later Diagnosed with Autism Jones, Warren Klin, Ami Nature Article Deficits in eye contact have been a hallmark of autism(1,2) since the condition’s initial description(3). They are cited widely as a diagnostic feature(4) and figure prominently in clinical instruments(5); however, the early onset of these deficits has not been known. Here we show in a prospective longitudinal study that infants later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) exhibit mean decline in eye fixation within the first 2 to 6 months of life, a pattern not observed in infants who do not develop ASD. These observations mark the earliest known indicators of social disability in infancy, but also falsify a prior hypothesis: in the first months of life, this basic mechanism of social adaptive action—eye looking—is not immediately diminished in infants later diagnosed with ASD; instead, eye looking appears to begin at normative levels prior to decline. The timing of decline highlights a narrow developmental window and reveals the early derailment of processes that would otherwise play a key role in canalizing typical social development. Finally, the observation of this decline in eye fixation—rather than outright absence—offers a promising opportunity for early intervention, one that could build on the apparent preservation of mechanisms subserving reflexive initial orientation towards the eyes. 2013-11-06 2013-12-19 /pmc/articles/PMC4035120/ /pubmed/24196715 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature12715 Text en Users may view, print, copy, download and text and data- mine the content in such documents, for the purposes of academic research, subject always to the full Conditions of use: http://www.nature.com/authors/editorial_policies/license.html#terms |
spellingShingle | Article Jones, Warren Klin, Ami Attention to Eyes is Present But in Decline in 2–6 Month-Olds Later Diagnosed with Autism |
title | Attention to Eyes is Present But in Decline in 2–6 Month-Olds Later Diagnosed with Autism |
title_full | Attention to Eyes is Present But in Decline in 2–6 Month-Olds Later Diagnosed with Autism |
title_fullStr | Attention to Eyes is Present But in Decline in 2–6 Month-Olds Later Diagnosed with Autism |
title_full_unstemmed | Attention to Eyes is Present But in Decline in 2–6 Month-Olds Later Diagnosed with Autism |
title_short | Attention to Eyes is Present But in Decline in 2–6 Month-Olds Later Diagnosed with Autism |
title_sort | attention to eyes is present but in decline in 2–6 month-olds later diagnosed with autism |
topic | Article |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4035120/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24196715 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature12715 |
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