title: Attention to eyes is present but in decline in 2-6-month-old infants later diagnosed with autism.
abstract: Deficits in eye contact have been a hallmark of autism since the condition's initial description. They are cited widely as a diagnostic feature and figure prominently in clinical instruments; however, the early onset of these deficits has not been known. Here we show in a prospective longitudinal study that infants later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) exhibit mean decline in eye fixation from 2 to 6 months of age, a pattern not observed in infants who do not develop ASD. These observations mark the earliest known indicators of social disability in infancy, but also falsify a prior hypothesis: in the first months of life, this basic mechanism of social adaptive action--eye looking--is not immediately diminished in infants later diagnosed with ASD; instead, eye looking appears to begin at normative levels prior to decline. The timing of decline highlights a narrow developmental window and reveals the early derailment of processes that would otherwise have a key role in canalizing typical social development. Finally, the observation of this decline in eye fixation--rather than outright absence--offers a promising opportunity for early intervention that could build on the apparent preservation of mechanisms subserving reflexive initial orientation towards the eyes.
authors.affiliation: 1] Marcus Autism Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia 30329, USA [2] Division of Autism & Related Disabilities, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30022, USA [3] Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30022, USA.
authors.forename: Warren
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: 1] Marcus Autism Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia 30329, USA [2] Division of Autism & Related Disabilities, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30022, USA [3] Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30022, USA.
authors.forename: Ami
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Klin
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005403:Fixation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012306:Risk; D012919:Social Behavior