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. 2012 Jun;42(6):937-46.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-011-1316-8.

Visual attention and autistic behavior in infants with fragile X syndrome

Jane E Roberts  1 , Deborah D Hatton, Anna C J Long, Vittoria Anello, John Colombo
Affiliations

Visual attention and autistic behavior in infants with fragile X syndrome

Jane E Roberts et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2012 Jun.

Abstract

Aberrant attention is a core feature of fragile X syndrome (FXS), however, little is known regarding the developmental trajectory and underlying physiological processes of attention deficits in FXS. Atypical visual attention is an early emerging and robust indictor of autism in idiopathic (non-FXS) autism. Using a biobehavioral approach with gaze direction and heart activity, we examined visual attention in infants with FXS at 9, 12, and 18 months of age with a cross-sectional comparison to 12-month-old typically developing infants. Analyses revealed lower HR variability, shallower HR decelerations, and prolonged look durations in 12-month old infants with FXS compared to typical controls. Look duration and increased latency to disengage attention were correlated with severity of autistic behavior but not mental age.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Heart rate patterns during baseline and keys task for TD and FX infants at 12 months.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic representation of HR-defined phases of attention. Adapted from Richards and Casey (1990).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Heart rate patterns during baseline and keys task for FX infants from 9 to 18 months.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Scatterplot of CARS and proportion of time looking at object for infants with FXS at 18 months of age.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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