Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the development of audiovisual integration in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Audiovisual integration was measured using the McGurk effect in children with ASD aged 7–16 years and typically developing children (control group) matched approximately for age, sex, nonverbal ability and verbal ability. Results showed that the children with ASD were delayed in visual accuracy and audiovisual integration compared to the control group. However, in the audiovisual integration measure, children with ASD appeared to ‘catch-up’ with their typically developing peers at the older age ranges. The suggestion that children with ASD show a deficit in audiovisual integration which diminishes with age has clinical implications for those assessing and treating these children.
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Notes
z statistic = skew/Standard error of skew.
Whilst age was re-scaled as the age from the youngest ASD age during the regression and ANCOVA, for all graphs, age (x axis) is depicted as an absolute value to give the reader a clearer picture of the age range.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the support of all of the schools, children and young people who participated in this study, to thank Professor Ruth Campbell for the use of the McGurk stimuli, and Dr Adrian Simpson for his statistical advice. This study has been prepared from a DClinPsy doctoral thesis written by the first author.
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Taylor, N., Isaac, C. & Milne, E. A Comparison of the Development of Audiovisual Integration in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Typically Developing Children. J Autism Dev Disord 40, 1403–1411 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-010-1000-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-010-1000-4