title: Multiple object tracking in autism spectrum disorders.
abstract: Difficulties in visual attention are often implicated in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) but it remains unclear which aspects of attention are affected. Here, we used a multiple object tracking (MOT) task to quantitatively characterize dynamic attentional function in children with ASD aged 5-12. While the ASD group performed significantly worse overall, the group difference did not increase with increased object speed. This finding suggests that decreased MOT performance is not due to deficits in dynamic attention but instead to a diminished capacity to select and maintain attention on multiple targets. Further, MOT performance improved from 5 to 10 years in both typical and ASD groups with similar developmental trajectories. These results argue against a specific deficit in dynamic attention in ASD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Brain and Cognitive Science and McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Building 46 Room 4141 (Kanwisher Lab), Cambridge, MA, USA. kamik@mit.edu
authors.forename: Kami
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koldewyn
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weigelt
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kanwisher
authors.forename: Yuhong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012042:Registries; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*