Different aspects of visual perception are important for 12-year social functioning depending on gestational age.

Abstract

Perceptual mechanisms in social functioning might promote interventions. We investigated relations between visual perception and social functioning, in preterm children. A prospective preterm cohort born in Uppsala County, Sweden, in 2004-2007 and 49 full-term controls were examined at 12 years. Aspects of visual perception, including static shapes, emotions, and time to detect biological motion, were related to social functioning and visual acuity. The preterm group comprised 25 extremely preterm children, EPT, born below 28 gestational weeks and 53 children born between 28-31 weeks. Preterm children had difficulties in perception of static shapes (p=0.004) and biological motion, p<0.001), but not in emotion perception, compared to controls. In the EPT children, poorer shape perception and lower scores on emotion perception were associated with more social problems (p=0.008) and lower visual acuity (p=0.004). Shape perception explained more variance in social functioning than emotion perception. In controls, fewer social problems were linked to faster biological motion perception (p=0.04). Static shape and biological motion perception was affected in the preterm groups. Biological motion perception was relevant for social functioning in full-term children. In EPT children, only shape perception was linked to social functioning, suggesting differential visual perception mechanisms for social deficits.