title: A close eye on the eagle-eyed visual acuity hypothesis of autism.
abstract: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have been associated with sensory hypersensitivity. A recent study reported visual acuity (VA) in ASD in the region reported for birds of prey. The validity of the results was subsequently doubted. This study examined VA in 34 individuals with ASD, 16 with schizophrenia (SCH), and 26 typically developing (TYP). Participants with ASD did not show higher VA than those with SCH and TYP. There were no substantial correlations of VA with clinical severity in ASD or SCH. This study could not confirm the eagle-eyed acuity hypothesis of ASD, or find evidence for a connection of VA and clinical phenotypes. Research needs to further address the origins and circumstances associated with altered sensory or perceptual processing in ASD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Women's and Children's Health, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Q2:07, Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Karolinska Institutet, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden. sven.bolte@ki.se
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bölte
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schlitt
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gapp
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hainz
authors.forename: Shella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schirman
authors.forename: Fritz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Poustka
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Freitag
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ciaramidaro
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Walter
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology; D014785:Vision, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology