Visual Perception Sensitivity in the Autism Spectrum
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Child Visual Perception Sensitivity in the Autism Spectrum - A Quantitative Study
IRAS ID
196946
Contact name
Jade Smith
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 4 months, 2 days
Research summary
Sensory processing abnormalities are found in individuals with autism. Recent work has shown that adults with autism are better able to detect small differences in orientation (tilt) than adults without autism. Given that orientation sensitivity is governed by the balance of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the brain, this finding suggests that autism is associated with increased neural inhibition. However, this suggestion is at odds with a dominant theory suggesting increased neuronal excitation causes autism. The current study will attempt to reconcile these competing theories by examining what the impact of having epilepsy (a disorder caused by increased excitation) is on orientation discrimination abilities. In addition this study will investigate whether the previous report of superior orientation discrimination in adults with autism is also found in children with autism.
Four groups of children will be recruited (autism, epilepsy, comorbid autism and epilepsy and neuro-typical). The testing session will involve: completion of a visual orientation task (20-30 minutes) and a non- verbal task (10 minutes – to control for non-verbal intelligence). An eye test (5 minutes) will be used to screen for uncorrected visual difficulties. Parents will complete four questionnaires; two assessing autism traits, one assessing depression and anxiety levels and one assessing sensory abnormalities. Parents will also fill out a demographics and clinical sheet (e.g. number of seizures if applicable, current medication).
It is hypothesised that the epilepsy group will show significantly poorer sensory discrimination abilities compared to the autism, co-morbid and neurotypical groups whereas the autism group will show superior abilities relative to the other groups.
If the study is able to characterise an Autism subtype (normal intelligence, absence of epilepsy, neuronal inhibition) through the identification of discrimination thresholds, this will imply that different groups of ASD may have different neural aetiologies, and would therefore require different therapeutic interventions.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Sheffield Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/YH/0101
Date of REC Opinion
25 May 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion