Effects of age and communication level on eye contact in fragile X males and non-fragile X autistic males

I L Cohen; P M Vietze; V Sudhalter; E C Jenkins; W T Brown

doi:10.1002/ajmg.1320380271

Effects of age and communication level on eye contact in fragile X males and non-fragile X autistic males

Am J Med Genet. 1991 Feb-Mar;38(2-3):498-502. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.1320380271.

Authors

I L Cohen¹, P M Vietze, V Sudhalter, E C Jenkins, W T Brown

Affiliation

¹ New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island 10314.

PMID: 2018093
DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.1320380271

Abstract

Dyadic social gaze and eye contact were examined in fragile X [fra(X)] males and in non-fra(X) autistic males as a function of age and level of communicative ability. Lag sequential analysis showed that responsive eye contact was highly correlated with age and communicative ability in non-fra(X) autistic males but not in fra(X) males. Older, more communicative non-fra(X) autistic males exhibited more responsive eye contact than their fra(X) cohorts. Implications of these observations for theory and intervention are discussed.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Age Factors
Attention
Autistic Disorder / genetics
Autistic Disorder / psychology*
Avoidance Learning
Child
Female
Fragile X Syndrome / psychology*
Humans
Male
Nonverbal Communication*
Social Behavior*

Grants and funding

MH38201/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States