title: Vision in autism spectrum disorders.
abstract: Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are developmental disorders which are thought primarily to affect social functioning. However, there is now a growing body of evidence that unusual sensory processing is at least a concomitant and possibly the cause of many of the behavioural signs and symptoms of ASD. A comprehensive and critical review of the phenomenological, empirical, neuroscientific and theoretical literature pertaining to visual processing in ASD is presented, along with a brief justification of a new theory which may help to explain some of the data, and link it with other current hypotheses about the genetic and neural aetiologies of this enigmatic condition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Glasgow, 58 Hillhead Street, Glasgow G128QB, Scotland, UK. david@psy.gla.ac.uk
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Simmons
authors.forename: Ashley E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: Lawrie S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: McKay
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Toal
authors.forename: Phil
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McAleer
authors.forename: Frank E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Pollick
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D055253:Color Vision / Q000502:physiology; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult