Visual Acuity in Adults with Asperger's Syndrome: No Evidence for "Eagle-Eyed" Vision
Background: Autism spectrum conditions (ASC) are defined by criteria comprising impairments in social interaction and communication. Altered visual perception is one possible and often discussed cause of difficulties in social interaction and social communication. Recently, Ashwin et al. suggested t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Elsevier Inc.
2011
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/24328 |
| _version_ | 1848751397513723904 |
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| author | Falkmer, M. Stuart, G. Danielsson, H. Bram, S. Lonebrink, M. Falkmer, Torbjorn |
| author_facet | Falkmer, M. Stuart, G. Danielsson, H. Bram, S. Lonebrink, M. Falkmer, Torbjorn |
| author_sort | Falkmer, M. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Background: Autism spectrum conditions (ASC) are defined by criteria comprising impairments in social interaction and communication. Altered visual perception is one possible and often discussed cause of difficulties in social interaction and social communication. Recently, Ashwin et al. suggested that enhanced ability in local visual processing in ASC was due to superior visual acuity, but that study has been the subject of methodological criticism, placing the findings in doubt. Methods: The present study investigated visual acuity thresholds in 24 adults with Asperger’s syndrome and compared their results with 25 control subjects with the 2 Meter 2000 Series Revised ETDRS Chart. Results: The distribution of visual acuities within the two groups was highly similar, and none of the participants had superior visual acuity. Conclusions: Superior visual acuity in individuals with Asperger’s syndrome could not be established, suggesting that differences in visual perception in ASC are not explained by this factor. A continued search for explanations of superior ability in local visual processing in persons with ASC is therefore warranted. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:52:05Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-24328 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:52:05Z |
| publishDate | 2011 |
| publisher | Elsevier Inc. |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-243282017-09-13T15:56:35Z Visual Acuity in Adults with Asperger's Syndrome: No Evidence for "Eagle-Eyed" Vision Falkmer, M. Stuart, G. Danielsson, H. Bram, S. Lonebrink, M. Falkmer, Torbjorn autism spectrum visual perception visual acuity sensory thresholds Asperger’s syndrome Background: Autism spectrum conditions (ASC) are defined by criteria comprising impairments in social interaction and communication. Altered visual perception is one possible and often discussed cause of difficulties in social interaction and social communication. Recently, Ashwin et al. suggested that enhanced ability in local visual processing in ASC was due to superior visual acuity, but that study has been the subject of methodological criticism, placing the findings in doubt. Methods: The present study investigated visual acuity thresholds in 24 adults with Asperger’s syndrome and compared their results with 25 control subjects with the 2 Meter 2000 Series Revised ETDRS Chart. Results: The distribution of visual acuities within the two groups was highly similar, and none of the participants had superior visual acuity. Conclusions: Superior visual acuity in individuals with Asperger’s syndrome could not be established, suggesting that differences in visual perception in ASC are not explained by this factor. A continued search for explanations of superior ability in local visual processing in persons with ASC is therefore warranted. 2011 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/24328 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.07.025 Elsevier Inc. restricted |
| spellingShingle | autism spectrum visual perception visual acuity sensory thresholds Asperger’s syndrome Falkmer, M. Stuart, G. Danielsson, H. Bram, S. Lonebrink, M. Falkmer, Torbjorn Visual Acuity in Adults with Asperger's Syndrome: No Evidence for "Eagle-Eyed" Vision |
| title | Visual Acuity in Adults with Asperger's Syndrome: No Evidence for "Eagle-Eyed" Vision |
| title_full | Visual Acuity in Adults with Asperger's Syndrome: No Evidence for "Eagle-Eyed" Vision |
| title_fullStr | Visual Acuity in Adults with Asperger's Syndrome: No Evidence for "Eagle-Eyed" Vision |
| title_full_unstemmed | Visual Acuity in Adults with Asperger's Syndrome: No Evidence for "Eagle-Eyed" Vision |
| title_short | Visual Acuity in Adults with Asperger's Syndrome: No Evidence for "Eagle-Eyed" Vision |
| title_sort | visual acuity in adults with asperger's syndrome: no evidence for "eagle-eyed" vision |
| topic | autism spectrum visual perception visual acuity sensory thresholds Asperger’s syndrome |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/24328 |