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    Social attention: what is it, how can we measure it, and what can it tell us about autism and ADHD?

    Braithwaite, Eleanor and Gui, Anna and Jones, Emily J.H. (2020) Social attention: what is it, how can we measure it, and what can it tell us about autism and ADHD? In: Hunnius, S. and Meyer, M. (eds.) New Perspectives on Early Social-cognitive Development. Progress in Brain Research 254. Elsevier, pp. 271-303.

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    Abstract

    Neurodevelopmental disorders like autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affect 2–10% of children worldwide but are still poorly understood. Prospective studies of infants with an elevated familial likelihood of ASD or ADHD can provide insight into early mechanisms that canalize development down a typical or atypical course. Such work holds potential for earlier identification and intervention to support optimal outcomes in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. Disrupted attention may be involved in developmental trajectories to ASD and ADHD. Specifically, altered attention to social stimuli has been suggested as a possible endophenotype of ASD, lying between genetic factors impacting brain development and later symptoms. Similarly, changes in domain-general aspects of attention are commonly seen in ADHD and emerging evidence suggests these may begin in infancy. Could these patterns point to a common risk factor for both disorders? Or does social attention reflect the activity of a particular network of brain systems that is distinct to those underpinning general attention skills? One challenge to addressing such questions is our lack of understanding of the relation between social and general attention. In this chapter we review evidence from infants with later ASD and ADHD that illuminates this question.

    Metadata

    Item Type: Book Section
    Keyword(s) / Subject(s): ASD, ADHD, Social attention, Visual attention, Endophenotype, Infant sibling
    School: Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science > School of Psychological Sciences
    Research Centres and Institutes: Brain and Cognitive Development, Centre for (CBCD)
    Depositing User: Emily Jones
    Date Deposited: 17 Mar 2021 13:41
    Last Modified: 12 Oct 2023 18:10
    URI: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/40761

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