Abnormal visual attention to simple social stimuli in 4-month-old infants at high risk for Autism

Abstract Despite an increasing interest in detecting early signs of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), the pathogenesis social impairments characterizing ASD is still largely unknown. Atypical visual attention to stimuli a potential marker and communicative deficits ASD. Some authors hypothesized that such are present from birth, leading decline subsequent typical functioning learning-mechanisms. Others suggested these emerge during transition subcortically cortically mediated mechanisms, happening around 2–3 months age. The study aimed provide additional evidence on origin disturbance seems characterize infants at high risk (HR) for Four preference tasks were used investigate 4-month-old HR, compared low-risk (LR) same Visual differences between HR LR emerged only depicting direct eye-gaze, adverted eye-gaze. Specifically, showed significant eye-gaze stimulus infants, which may indicate delayed development preferences normally observed birth typically developing infants. No other found groups. Results discussed light hypotheses origins