Audio Visual Speech Perception In Autism

Decreased attention to the face is a core characteristic of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and commonly assessed through valid and reliable observational measures. Through expert report, investigators (a) analyzed behavioral observation items that require attention to face on the Social Responsiveness Scale, 2nd edition (SRS-2), the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), and the Children's Communication Checklist, 2nd edition (CCC-2). Using an agreement level of 80% among raters, results indicated that the SCQ presented with the most identified attention to face items, followed by the CCC-2, and the SRS-2. With evidence to support attention to face items within the questionnaires, the investigators further (b) assessed links between questionnaire scores and a more objective measure of attention, ERP component P300. Scores and P300 measures of typically developing (TD) children were obtained and analyzed from a larger on-going study that assessed audio-visual (AV) perception. Results revealed preliminary links between one's attentional resources during the AV task and scores measuring degree of social communication interaction, social motivation, context of communication, and coherence of communication. Given that differences in neural activity of attention to face present earlier than behavioral differences, the preliminary correlations between objective ERP measures of attention and observable attention to face behaviors may guide clinicians to a more objective measurement of a foundational social communication behavior, providing implications for future ASD diagnosis.