Autism Spectrum Quotient Research Articles

3.53 Validation of a Youth Self-Report and Parent-Report Version of the Autism Spectrum Quotient Questionnaire (AQ-28)

The Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) is a widely used ASD trait measure for screening and research. To optimize rapid recruitment of children and youth from the general population, we adopted the validated AQ-28 version to include adolescents via self-report and children via parent-report. Here we explore discriminant and ecological validity, as well as factor structure, in the expanded population groups.

Categorical perception of Mandarin tones in neurotypical adults with subclinical autistic traits

Early studies have revealed that categorical speech perception is impaired in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. However, it remains unclear whether categorical speech perception ability is associated with subclinical autistic traits in neurotypical populations. The current study sought to address this question by examining categorical perception of Mandarin tones (T1, high-level; T4, falling) in young adults. One hundred and thirty-one college students were recruited to participate in two classic categorical perception task, identification and discrimination, and to fill in the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ; Baron-Cohen et al., 2001) for measuring subclinical autistic traits. The results showed that identification slope and categorical boundary width were not significantly correlated with the overall AQ score and the scores of the five subscales. However, between-category discrimination accuracy was significantly correlated with the social subscale score, indicating that individuals with less social skills have heightened between-category discrimination ability. Possible theoretical and practical implications of this association in subclinical populations are discussed. The current study adds to a better understanding of the associations between subclinical autistic traits and categorical speech perception in neurotypical individuals. [Work supported by the Humanities and Social Sciences Foundation of Ministry of Education of China 20YJCZH079.]

SUB-THRESHOLD AUTISTIC TRAITS AS PREDICTOR OF EXPERIENTIAL AVOIDANCE AND MOOD STATES AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Features of autism are prevalent not only in diagnosed patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) but in the general population also with fewer severities (Gokcen et al., 2014). The present research intended to find out the role of subthreshold autistic traits (SATs) on experiential avoidance and mood states of university students. A sample of (N = 201) undergraduate university students (Mage = 21.77; SDage =1.64; 84.1% women; 14.9% men) was recruited using convenient sampling technique. Urdu versions of Autism Quotient (AQ; Baron-Cohen et al., 2001), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire II (AAQ-II; Bond et al., 2011) and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; Watson et al., 1988) were administered to the participants as measures of autistic traits, experiential avoidance and mood states respectively. Results of linear regression revealed total score of AQ as a significant predictor of AAQ and Negative Affect subscale of PANAS. Hierarchical regression analysis further depicted that two of the subscales of AQ i.e. imagination and social skills significantly predicted positive and negative affect respectively. Mediation analysis using PROCESS demonstrated that experiential avoidance fully mediated the relationship between imagination and positive affect while partially mediated the association between social skills and negative affect. Results are discussed with a focus on early identification and intervention strategies to mitigate the adverse impact of experiential avoidance and negative mood on mental health of individuals with higher level of autistic features. Keywords: Subthreshold Autistic Traits, Experiential Avoidance, Hierarchical regression, Intervention strategies, Mental Health

Investigating the Influence of Autism Spectrum Traits on Face Processing Mechanisms in Developmental Prosopagnosia.

Autism traits are common exclusionary criteria in developmental prosopagnosia (DP) studies. We investigated whether autism traits produce qualitatively different face processing in 43 DPs with high vs. low autism quotient (AQ) scores. Compared to controls (n = 27), face memory and perception were similarly deficient in the high- and low-AQ DPs, with the high-AQ DP group additionally showing deficient face emotion recognition. Task-based fMRI revealed reduced occipito-temporal face selectivity in both groups, with high-AQ DPs additionally demonstrating decreased posterior superior temporal sulcus selectivity. Resting-state fMRI showed similar reduced face-selective network connectivity in both DP groups compared with controls. Together, this demonstrates that high- and low-AQ DP groups have very similar face processing deficits, with additional facial emotion deficits in high-AQ DPs.

Ties between reading faces, bodies, eyes, and autistic traits.

While reading covered with masks faces during the COVID-19 pandemic, for efficient social interaction, we need to combine information from different sources such as the eyes (without faces hidden by masks) and bodies. This may be challenging for individuals with neuropsychiatric conditions, in particular, autism spectrum disorders. Here we examined whether reading of dynamic faces, bodies, and eyes are tied in a gender-specific way, and how these capabilities are related to autistic traits expression. Females and males accomplished a task with point-light faces along with a task with point-light body locomotion portraying different emotional expressions. They had to infer emotional content of displays. In addition, participants were administered the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, modified and Autism Spectrum Quotient questionnaire. The findings show that only in females, inferring emotions from dynamic bodies and faces are firmly linked, whereas in males, reading in the eyes is knotted with face reading. Strikingly, in neurotypical males only, accuracy of face, body, and eyes reading was negatively tied with autistic traits. The outcome points to gender-specific modes in social cognition: females rely upon merely dynamic cues while reading faces and bodies, whereas males most likely trust configural information. The findings are of value for examination of face and body language reading in neuropsychiatric conditions, in particular, autism, most of which are gender/sex-specific. This work suggests that if male individuals with autistic traits experience difficulties in reading covered with masks faces, these deficits may be unlikely compensated by reading (even dynamic) bodies and faces. By contrast, in females, reading covered faces as well as reading language of dynamic bodies and faces are not compulsorily connected to autistic traits preventing them from paying high costs for maladaptive social interaction.

Autism and anorexia nervosa: Longitudinal prediction of eating disorder outcomes.

BackgroundRecently, elevated levels of autistic features and autism diagnoses have been reported among people with anorexia nervosa (AN). In clinical settings high levels of autistic features have been linked to more complex, highly comorbid illness presentation and poorer treatment outcome. This study aimed to examine whether autistic features predict AN symptom profile in long term.MethodsAltogether 118 women with lived experience of AN completed two autism assessments at time 1, the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and the short version of the Autism Quotient (AQ10). Measures assessing AN symptom profile, including eating disorders symptoms, anxiety, depression, OCD symptoms, and Body Mass Index (BMI), were also recorded. The symptom profile measures were administered again 6 months and 2 years later. We conducted two analyses to examine the extent to which the ADOS and AQ10 scores predicted broad AN symptom profile at each three time points.ResultsOverall, high levels of autistic features were consistently associated with worse psychological symptoms, but not BMI, across all time points. Both the analysis using baseline ADOS scores and self-reported AQ10 scores showed similar pattern.ConclusionThe present findings consolidate previously reported associations between autistic features and worse psychological outcome among people with AN. The findings also suggest that self-report measures may be sufficient for assessing the impact of autistic features on illness outcome among people with AN. Importantly, the study highlights the need for development and further investigation of neurodiversity accommodations in the treatment of AN.

The "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" Test Shows Poor Psychometric Properties in a Large, Demographically Representative U.S. Sample.

The Reading the Mind in the Eyes test (RMET) is a widely used measure of theory of mind (ToM). Despite its popularity, there are questions regarding the RMET's psychometric properties. In the current study, we examined the RMET in a representative U.S. sample of 1,181 adults. Key analyses included conducting an exploratory factor analysis on the full sample and examining whether there is a different factor structure in individuals with high versus low scores on the 28-item autism spectrum quotient (AQ-28). We identified overlapping, but distinct, three-factor models for the full sample and the two subgroups. In all cases, each of the three models showed inadequate model fit. We also found other limitations of the RMET, including that nearly a quarter of the RMET items did not meet the criteria for inclusion in the RMET that were established in the original validation study. Due to the RMET's weak psychometric properties and the uncertain validity of individual items, as indicated by our study and previous studies, we conclude that significant caution is warranted when using the RMET as a measure of ToM.

Hyperfocus or flow? Attentional strengths in autism spectrum disorder.

The comorbidity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses is well established. An ASD diagnosis is associated with elevated ADHD traits and symptoms, as well as strengths in attention. In the ASD literature, attentional strengths have been described as maladaptive (e.g., hyperfocus), in contrast with positive portrayals in the typically developing population (e.g., flow). The objective of this study was to (1) compare profiles of attentional strengths and weaknesses in ASD and ADHD and (2) determine whether attentional strengths in ASD are associated with impairment, poorer cognitive flexibility, and perseveration/perfectionism. In a community sample of 5,744 children and youth, 131 children were reported as having a diagnosis of ASD (mean age 10.3 years) and 346 children were reported as having a diagnosis of ADHD (mean age 10.7 years). We used the Strengths and Weaknesses of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity-symptoms and Normal-behaviors (SWAN) rating scale to calculate attentional and hyperactive/impulse control strength and weakness counts and scores. The Autism-Spectrum Quotient Switching factor served as a measure of cognitive flexibility. Impairment was assessed with the Columbia Impairment Scale. We used the symmetry/ordering factor on the Toronto Obsessive-Compulsive Scale as a measure of perseveration/perfectionism. No differences were found between the ADHD and ASD groups in SWAN weakness scores, symptoms, or hyperactive/impulse control strengths; however, autistic children had higher rates of attentional strengths [odds ratio: 5.7, 95% CI (2.8, 11.6), p < 0.0001]. Post-hoc pairwise testing identified four attentional strengths with significantly higher rates in ASD than in ADHD. Attentional strength scores were not associated with impairment or poor cognitive flexibility, but predicted levels of perseveration/perfectionism. The effect of attentional strengths on impairment and cognitive flexibility did not differ between autistic and Control children, but the higher perseveration/perfectionism scores seen in ASD were not found in Control children. ASD is associated with a pattern of attentional strengths that is not found in ADHD Characterizing the full range of attentional abilities in autistic children may explain variability in outcomes such as quality-of-life indicators and identify protective factors, providing targets for strength-based behavioral interventions. The clinical and etiological implications of the subgroup of autistic children with attentional strengths require further investigation.

Molecular genetic associations between a prominent serotonin transporter gene polymorphism (5-HTTLPR/rs25531) and individual differences in tendencies toward autistic traits and generalized internet use disorder in China and Germany.

BackgroundThe serotonin transporter polymorphism 5‐HTTLPR is an extensively investigated genetic marker of autistic traits or autism spectrum disorder, and recently has also been studied in the realm of internet use disorder (IUD), yet the findings remain controversial. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore associations between 5‐HTTLPR (also including SNP rs25531) and autistic traits/IUD tendencies and to assess whether the relationship between autistic traits and IUD tendencies varies by this genetic marker in participants from China and Germany.MethodsA total of 540 Chinese and 563 German subjects were genotyped for 5‐HTTLPR/rs25531 and completed the Adult Autism Spectrum Quotient questionnaire and the short version of the Internet Addiction Test.ResultsCarriers of the low expressing S'S’ genotype (S, LG) showed significantly higher levels of autistic traits than the high expressing allele (e.g. LA) carriers in both samples. There was no significant effect of 5‐HTTLPR/rs25531 on IUD either in the Chinese or Germany samples, whereas positive correlations between autistic traits and IUD varied by 5‐HTTLPR/rs25531 genotypes and also differed between Chinese and German samples. In the Chinese sample, positive correlations were mainly driven by S'S’ and S'L' carriers, while they were mainly determined by S'L’ and L'L' carriers in the German sample. Further analyses revealed that the associations between autistic traits and IUD tended in parts to be more strongly pronounced in the complete German sample compared to the complete Chinese sample, and also varied depending on 5‐HTTLPR/rs25531 genotypes (in S'S’ carriers: China > Germany; in S'L’ and L'L’ carriers: China < Germany; both in terms of more positive associations).ConclusionsOur findings suggest carriers of low expressing alleles (S, LG) are more likely to show higher autistic traits in both Chinese and German samples. Furthermore, the present work shows that both 5‐HTTLPR/rs25531 and cultural differences might be of relevance to understand associations between autistic traits and IUD tendencies, but this needs to be further backed up.

Mapping the perception-space of facial expressions in the era of face masks.

With the advent of the severe acute respiratory syndrome-Corona Virus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, the theme of emotion recognition from facial expressions has become highly relevant due to the widespread use of face masks as one of the main devices imposed to counter the spread of the virus. Unsurprisingly, several studies published in the last 2 years have shown that accuracy in the recognition of basic emotions expressed by faces wearing masks is reduced. However, less is known about the impact that wearing face masks has on the ability to recognize emotions from subtle expressions. Furthermore, even less is known regarding the role of interindividual differences (such as alexithymic and autistic traits) in emotion processing. This study investigated the perception of all the six basic emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise), both as a function of the face mask and as a function of the facial expressions’ intensity (full vs. subtle) in terms of participants’ uncertainty in their responses, misattribution errors, and perceived intensity. The experiment was conducted online on a large sample of participants (N = 129). Participants completed the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the Autistic Spectrum Quotient and then performed an emotion-recognition task that involved face stimuli wearing a mask or not, and displaying full or subtle expressions. Each face stimulus was presented alongside the Geneva Emotion Wheel (GEW), and participants had to indicate what emotion they believed the other person was feeling and its intensity using the GEW. For each combination of our variables, we computed the indices of ‘uncertainty’ (i.e., the spread of responses around the correct emotion category), ‘bias’ (i.e., the systematic errors in recognition), and ‘perceived intensity’ (i.e., the distance from the center of the GEW). We found that face masks increase uncertainty for all facial expressions of emotion, except for fear when intense, and that disgust was systematically confused with anger (i.e., response bias). Furthermore, when faces were covered by the mask, all the emotions were perceived as less intense, and this was particularly evident for subtle expressions. Finally, we did not find any evidence of a relationship between these indices and alexithymic/autistic traits.

Sensorische Auffälligkeiten bei Autismus-Spektrum-Störung: Validierung und Adaptation des englischsprachigen „Sensory Perception Quotient“ (SPQ) von Tavassoli und Kollegen

Although the DSM-5 has emphasised the relevance of sensory abnormalities in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), there are hardly any measures to assess them in German speaking countries. The present study translated the "Sensory Perception Questionnaire" (SPQ) by Tavassoli et al. (2014) to German and validated this scale. The SPQ is a self-rating scale for adults which focuses on perceptual aspects rather than cognitive or motivational antecedents or consequences of such perceptual processes. A total of 188 subjects participated in this study, including n=85 participants with ASD and n=103 neurotypical controls. The autism spectrum quotient (AQ) and the empathy quotient (EQ) were also administered, the IQ was measured using the CFT20-R, and participants were clinically evaluated using the SKID-I. Alternative items were generated to improve the semantic and psychometric properties of the SPQ. Of the 92 original SPQ items, 33 separated the clinical groups significantly and linguistically clearly in the sense of sensory hyper-sensitivity. These items covered primarily the sensory modalities of hearing, touch and vision. Increased sensory hyper-sensitivity was associated with greater scores in the AQ and increased slightly with increasing age. Sensory hyper-sensitivity in participants with ASD was, however, not significantly correlated with the EQ and the IQ. Due to the item-analytical rather than dimensional item selection, the short versions presented here exhibit a clearly better group separation with comparable concurrent validities when compared to Tavassoli's short version of the scale. Pending replication and proper norming, the SPQ short version presented here can be employed for screening purposes and supplement the clinical diagnostic process.

The Autism-Spectrum Quotient-Hebrew version: Psychometric properties of a full and a short form, adapted for DSM-5.

Despite the attempt to diagnose autism at an early age, there are still many individuals who would only get an autism diagnosis in adulthood. For these adults, a questionnaire that could assist in highlighting their need to seek diagnostic assessment is needed. The Autism-Spectrum Quotient is a self-report scale used to assess autistic traits. It was tested cross-culturally, and a short version was recommended to help identify adults who should be referred for an autism assessment. However, its relevance for the up-to-date diagnostic criteria, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.), has not been tested. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Hebrew version of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient and to create a short version of the Hebrew Autism-Spectrum Quotient, based on items which map on to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) criteria. Ninety-three autistic adults (24 females), aged 18-51, clinically diagnosed according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.), and 147 comparable controls (34 females) filled out the Hebrew version of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient. Ten clinicians who specialize in diagnosing autism in adults classified the Autism-Spectrum Quotient's items according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) criteria. The short version of the Hebrew Autism-Spectrum Quotient comprised items that best differentiated between adults with and without autism, five items representing each of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) diagnostic domains. The overall probability for participants to be correctly classified as autistic or neurotypical was 86% for the Hebrew version of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient and 88% for the short version of the Hebrew Autism-Spectrum Quotient. We conclude that both versions are reliable and sensitive instruments that can help referring adults for autism assessment.

Psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ-19) with Iranian university students.

Studies suggest that autistic traits are widespread among the general population and, in this regard, the short form of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), the AQ-28, was developed to measure autistic traits. The present study examines the factor structure, internal consistency, and convergent validity of the Persian version of the AQ-28 with 691 Iranian university students (Mage = 28.67, SD = 8.57, 57.3% women) who were recruited online and completed the AQ-28 and Symptom Checklist (SCL-25) measures. Confirmatory factor analysis results yielded a four-factor model, which was internally consistent and demonstrated hypothesized correlations with the external correlates of interest (e.g., anxiety, depression, and phobia). Results support the Persian version of the AQ with 19 items (AQ-19) as a measure with sound psychometrics to be used in studies with Iranian university students.

Identified protective factors to support psychological well-being among gender diverse autistic youth

Literature has discussed the intersectionality between autism and transgender and gender diverse (TGD) identities. Research has also identified the importance of protective factors, which are experiences that enhance positive outcomes in the face of potentially negative experiences. This exploratory quantitative survey study seeks to identify school and community-based protective factors that relate to psychological well-being and life satisfaction among 31 TGD Autistic youths between the ages of 13 to 17. The authors utilized adapted and full-forms of validated measures including the KID-SCREEN 27, Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Survey Peabody Treatment Progress Battery, Adolescent Resilience Questionnaire, Perceived Coronavirus Threat Questionnaire, and Autism-Spectrum Quotient. Results suggest that community connectedness, school support, family availability, and self-identification of sexual orientation as queer were identified as protective factors. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

EmBody/EmFace as a new open tool to assess emotion recognition from body and face expressions

Nonverbal expressions contribute substantially to social interaction by providing information on another person’s intentions and feelings. While emotion recognition from dynamic facial expressions has been widely studied, dynamic body expressions and the interplay of emotion recognition from facial and body expressions have attracted less attention, as suitable diagnostic tools are scarce. Here, we provide validation data on a new open source paradigm enabling the assessment of emotion recognition from both 3D-animated emotional body expressions (Task 1: EmBody) and emotionally corresponding dynamic faces (Task 2: EmFace). Both tasks use visually standardized items depicting three emotional states (angry, happy, neutral), and can be used alone or together. We here demonstrate successful psychometric matching of the EmBody/EmFace items in a sample of 217 healthy subjects with excellent retest reliability and validity (correlations with the Reading-the-Mind-in-the-Eyes-Test and Autism-Spectrum Quotient, no correlations with intelligence, and given factorial validity). Taken together, the EmBody/EmFace is a novel, effective (< 5 min per task), highly standardized and reliably precise tool to sensitively assess and compare emotion recognition from body and face stimuli. The EmBody/EmFace has a wide range of potential applications in affective, cognitive and social neuroscience, and in clinical research studying face- and body-specific emotion recognition in patient populations suffering from social interaction deficits such as autism, schizophrenia, or social anxiety.

A-261 The Role Parental Stress Plays on the Intelligence Test of 5-year-old Children with Potential Autism Trait

Abstract Objective: IQ among children with various neuro-developmental disabilities (NDDs) has been found to be significantly associated with parental stress. However, research on the effects of parental stress on a child’s cognitive function has insubstantial results, particularly among children with potential Autism trait. The current study examined whether parental stress is associated with cognitive scores among children with potential Autism trait relative to children without Autism trait. A subsample of 97 mothers and their 5-year-old children was extracted from the Stress in Pregnancy Study. Mothers completed a Parenting Stress Index (PSI), reporting magnitude of stress in the parent, and an Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ10) questionnaire, disclosing possible Autism trait in their child. Children were administered the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-IV) to assess different domains of cognitive function. A two-by-two Factorial ANOVA was conducted to compare main effects of predictors (parental stress and child’s potential Autism trait) and its interaction on child’s cognitive performance (IQ). The results showed a significant interaction toward the Children Full Scale IQ, F(1, 93)= 11.46, p= .001, Verbal Comprehension, F(1, 93)= 6.54, p= .01, Visual Spatial, F(1, 93)= 4.64, p= .03, Fluid Reasoning, F(1, 93)= 5.81, p= .02, and Working Memory, F(1, 93)= 13.25, p&amp;lt; .001. Notably, there was an increase in cognitive function among children with potential Autism trait and higher stress parent. These findings contrasted previous literature, suggesting higher parental stress may in fact favor child intellectual outcomes.

Autism-spectrum traits in neurotypicals predict the embodiment of manipulation knowledge about object concepts: Evidence from eyetracking.

Sensorimotor-based theories of cognition predict that even subtle developmental motor differences, such as those characterizing autism spectrum disorder (ASD), impact how we represent the meaning of manipulable objects (e.g., faucet). Here, we test 85 neurotypical participants, who varied widely on the Adult Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), a measure intended to capture variability in ASD characteristics in the general adult population (participant scores were all below the clinical threshold for autism). Participants completed a visual world eyetracking task designed to assess the activation of conceptual representations of manipulable objects. Participants heard words referring to manually manipulable objects (e.g., faucet) while we recorded their eye movements to arrays of four objects: the named object, a related object typically manipulated similarly (e.g., jar), and two unrelated objects. Consistent with prior work, we observed more looks to the related object than to the unrelated ones (i.e., a manipulation-relatedness effect). This effect likely reflects the overlapping conceptual representations of objects sharing manipulation characteristics (e.g., faucet and jar), due to embodied sensorimotor properties being part of their representations. Critically, we observed—among typically developed young adults—that as AQ scores increased, manipulation-relatedness effects decreased. In contrast, in a visual control condition, in which a target object was paired with related objects of a similar shape (e.g., snake and rope), relatedness effects increased with AQ scores. The results show that AQ scores can predict variation in how object-concept representations are activated for typically developed individuals. More speculatively, they are consistent with the hypothesis that in individuals with ASD, differences in object-concept representations emerge at least in part via differences in sensorimotor experience.

How does face mask in COVID-19 pandemic disrupt face learning and recognition in adults with autism spectrum disorder?

Use of face masks is one of the measures adopted by the general community to stop the transmission of disease during this ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This wide use of face masks has indeed been shown to disrupt day-to-day face recognition. People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have predisposed impairment in face recognition and are expected to be more vulnerable to this disruption in face recognition. Here, we recruited typically developing adult participants and those with ASD, and we measured their non-verbal intelligence, autism spectrum quotient, empathy quotient, and recognition performances of faces with and without a face mask covering the lower halves of the face. When faces were initially learned unobstructed, we showed that participants had a general reduced face recognition performance for masked faces. In contrast, when masked faces were first learned, typically developing adults benefit with an overall advantage in recognizing both masked and unmasked faces; while adults with ASD recognized unmasked faces with a significantly more reduced level of performance than masked faces—this face recognition discrepancy is predicted by a higher level of autistic traits. This paper also discusses how autistic traits influence processing of faces with and without face masks.

Behavioral and neural markers of visual configural processing in social scene perception

Research on face perception has revealed highly specialized visual mechanisms such as configural processing, and provided markers of interindividual differences –including disease risks and alterations– in visuo-perceptual abilities that traffic in social cognition. Is face perception unique in degree or kind of mechanisms, and in its relevance for social cognition? Combining functional MRI and behavioral methods, we address the processing of an uncharted class of socially relevant stimuli: minimal social scenes involving configurations of two bodies spatially close and face-to-face as if interacting (hereafter, facing dyads). We report category-specific activity for facing (vs. non-facing) dyads in visual cortex. That activity shows face-like signatures of configural processing –i.e., stronger response to facing (vs. non-facing) dyads, and greater susceptibility to stimulus inversion for facing (vs. non-facing) dyads–, and is predicted by performance-based measures of configural processing in visual perception of body dyads. Moreover, we observe that the individual performance in body-dyad perception is reliable, stable-over-time and correlated with the individual social sensitivity, coarsely captured by the Autism-Spectrum Quotient. Further analyses clarify the relationship between single-body and body-dyad perception. We propose that facing dyads are processed through highly specialized mechanisms –and brain areas–, analogously to other biologically and socially relevant stimuli such as faces. Like face perception, facing-dyad perception can reveal basic (visual) processes that lay the foundations for understanding others, their relationships and interactions.

Towards identifying a method of screening for autism amongst women with restrictive eating disorders.

ObjectiveUp to 37% of patients with anorexia nervosa score above cut‐off on autism screening measures. These individuals typically have poorer outcomes from standard eating disorder interventions and could therefore benefit from adaptations. Accurately identifying these individuals is important for improving autism referral processes and clinical pathway decisions. This study's aim was to identify subscales of questionnaires measuring constructs associated with either autism or eating disorders that, when combined with traditional autism screening measures, would improve the ability to identify women with restrictive eating disorders who might benefit from a full autism assessment.MethodOne hundred and sixty women with restrictive eating disorders, with (n = 42) or without (n = 118) an autism diagnosis completed a battery of questionnaires. Using conditional stepwise binary logistic regression, we attempted to improve the autism spectrum quotient 10 item's (AQ‐10) ability to discriminate between autistic and non‐autistic women in a restrictive eating disorder sample.ResultsIn a binary logistic regression model, the AQ‐10 reliably discriminated between autistic and non‐autistic women with an accuracy rate of 85% but had relatively low (69%) sensitivity, reflecting a high rate of false negatives. Adding three subscales to the model (Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire Auditory, Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire Compensation and Toronto Alexithymia Scale Externally Orientated Thinking) significantly improved its differentiating ability (accuracy = 88%, sensitivity = 76%, specificity = 92%).ConclusionsWe have identified three subscales that, when used in combination with the AQ‐10, may help clinicians understand the pattern of autistic traits in their patients with a restrictive eating disorder. This can inform clinical decisions about whether to refer for a full autism assessment and whether to adapt standard eating disorder treatments to accommodate autistic traits. Future studies are needed to test the model in samples where participants have undergone a full autism assessment.