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Abstract:
This study used random dot kinematograms to investigate
coherent motion detection in a group of 25 high functioning
children with autism (mean age 11 years, 8 months) and a group of
22 mental age and chronologically age matched controls (mean age 11
years, 7 months). Participants were required to identify the
direction of coherent motion in an array of moving dots presented
on a computer screen. The percentage of dots moving together
(coherently) in a single direction (left or right) varied according
to the participant's response until we obtained a percentage score
which represented the smallest number of dots needed for the
participant to correctly perceive the direction of motion. We found
that the group with autism had significantly higher motion
coherence thresholds (p = 0.006). The finding suggests that some
individuals with autism, may show impairments in low level visual
processing specifically in the magnocellular visual pathway. The
findings are discussed in terms of implications for higher level
cognitive theories of autism, and suggestion is made that further
research needs to be carried out to investigate low level visual
processing in autism.
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