Audiovisual speech integration in pervasive developmental disorder: evidence from event-related potentials.
BACKGROUND
Integration of information from multiple sensory sources is an important prerequisite for successful social behavior, especially during face-to-face conversation. It has been suggested that communicative impairments among individuals with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) might be caused by an inability to integrate synchronously presented visual and auditory cues.


METHODS
We investigated audiovisual integration of speech stimuli among a group of high-functioning adult PDD individuals and age- and IQ-matched controls using electroencephalography, measuring both early pre-phonological, as well as late phonologically driven integration.


RESULTS
Pre-phonological AV interactions are intact, while AV interactions corresponding to more complex phonological processes are impaired in individuals with PDD.


CONCLUSIONS
The present findings argue for a pattern of impairments on tasks related to complex audiovisual integration combined with relative sparing of low-level integrational abilities. This combination may very well contribute to the communicative disabilities which are typical for the disorder.
Magnée
Maurice J C M
MJ
Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands. M.J.C.M.Magnee@umcutrecht.nl
de Gelder
Beatrice
B
van Engeland
Herman
H
Kemner
Chantal
C
D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003142:Communication; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010700:Phonetics; D013067:Speech Perception; D014796:Visual Perception; D055815:Young Adult