title: Visual attention shifting in autism spectrum disorders.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Abnormal visual attention has been frequently observed in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Abnormal shifting of visual attention is related to abnormal development of social cognition and has been identified as a key neuropsychological finding in ASD. Better characterizing attention shifting in ASD and its relationship with social functioning may help to identify new targets for intervention and improving social communication in these disorders. Thus, the current study investigated deficits in attention shifting in ASD as well as relationships between attention shifting and social communication in ASD and neurotypicals (NT).
  
  
  METHODS
  To investigate deficits in visual attention shifting in ASD, 20 ASD and 20 age- and gender-matched NT completed visual search (VS) and Navon tasks with attention-shifting demands as well as a set-shifting task. VS was a feature search task with targets defined in one of two dimensions; Navon required identification of a target letter presented at the global or local level. Psychomotor and processing speed were entered as covariates. Relationships between visual attention shifting, set shifting, and social functioning were also examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ASD and NT showed comparable costs of shifting attention. However, psychomotor and processing speed were slower in ASD than in NT, and psychomotor and processing speed were positively correlated with attention-shifting costs on Navon and VS, respectively, for both groups. Attention shifting on VS and Navon were correlated among NT, while attention shifting on Navon was correlated with set shifting among ASD. Attention-shifting costs on Navon were positively correlated with restricted and repetitive behaviors among ASD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Relationships between attention shifting and psychomotor and processing speed, as well as relationships between measures of different aspects of visual attention shifting, suggest inefficient top-down influences over preattentive visual processing in ASD. Inefficient attention shifting may be related to restricted and repetitive behaviors in these disorders.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology, Science Complex , Eastern Michigan University , Ypsilanti , MI , USA.
authors.forename: Annette E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Richard
authors.forename: Renee
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lajiness-O'Neill
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012718:Set, Psychology; D012919:Social Behavior
keywords: Attention; Autism spectrum disorder; Executive function; Navon; Visual search