Examining the Characteristics of Visuospatial Information Processing
in Individuals with High-Functioning Autism |
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Authors: | Sandhya L Kumar |
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Institution: | University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama |
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Abstract: | Information processing in individuals with autism is marked by a unique interplay
of strengths and weaknesses that in concert distinguishes social cognition in
autism from individuals with typical-functioning brains. In autism, difficulties
with higher cognitive processing and enhancement of low-level visuospatial
processing, such as in visual search tasks, may lead to diminished central
coherence, which has the potential to hinder how an individual functions in
social interactions where integration of components such as intention, emotion,
and context paints the global picture necessary for social processing. A more
thorough understanding of the cognitive and neural processes in autism is
important for the advancement of intervention programs. The intention of this
review is to discuss the implications of neuroimaging and behavioral studies
that have analyzed the higher cognitive functions in individuals with
high-functioning autism, with a particular emphasis on studies that have
investigated visuospatial processing. |
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Keywords: | autism visuospatial processing fMRI weak central coherence functional connectivity functional underconnectivity mindblindness |
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