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The Frequency and Distribution of Spontaneous Attention Shifts between Social and Nonsocial Stimuli in Autistic, Typically Developing, and Nonautistic Developmentally Delayed Infants

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 1998

J. Swettenham ,
S. Baron-Cohen ,
T. Charman ,
A. Cox ,
G. Baird ,
A. Drew ,
L. Rees  and
S. Wheelwright
J. Swettenham
Affiliation:
Goldsmiths College, University of London, U.K.
S. Baron-Cohen
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge, U.K.
T. Charman
Affiliation:
University College London, U.K.
A. Cox
Affiliation:
Guy's Hospital, London, U.K.
G. Baird
Affiliation:
Guy's Hospital, London, U.K.
A. Drew
Affiliation:
Guy's Hospital, London, U.K.
L. Rees
Affiliation:
Goldsmiths College, University of London, U.K.
S. Wheelwright
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge, U.K.
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Abstract

Spontaneous shifts of attention were observed in autistic, typically developing, and nonautistic developmentally delayed infants. Three types of attention shifting behaviour were observed; (1) between an object and another object, (2) between an object and a person, and (3) between a person and another person. The two control groups shifted attention more frequently between an object and a person than between an object and another object or between a person and another person. The infants with autism showed a different pattern, shifting attention between an object and another object more than any other type of shift. Furthermore, infants with autism showed fewer shifts of attention between an object and a person, and between person and person, than did the two control groups. They also spent less time overall looking at people and looked more briefly at people and for longer durations at objects, compared to the two control groups. These results indicate an abnormality in social orientation in autism even at the early age of 20 months.

Keywords

Psychiatric disorderautismmental handicap
Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines , Volume 39 , Issue 5 , July 1998 , pp. 747 - 753
Copyright
© 1998 Association for Child Psychology and Psychiatry

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