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Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Published in: Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders 1/2017

Open Access 01-12-2017 | Research

Differential effects of anxiety and autism on social scene scanning in males with fragile X syndrome

Authors: Hayley Crawford, Joanna Moss, Chris Oliver, Deborah Riby

Published in: Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders | Issue 1/2017

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Abstract

Background

Existing literature draws links between social attention and socio-behavioural profiles in neurodevelopmental disorders. Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is associated with a known socio-behavioural phenotype of social anxiety and social communication difficulties alongside high social motivation. However, studies investigating social attention in males with FXS are scarce. Using eye tracking, this study investigates social attention and its relationship with both anxiety and autism symptomatology in males with FXS.

Methods

We compared dwell times to the background, body, and face regions of naturalistic social scenes in 11 males with FXS (M age = 26.29) and 11 typically developing (TD) children who were matched on gender and receptive language ability (M age = 6.28). Using informant-report measures, we then investigated the relationships between social scene scanning and anxiety, and social scene scanning and social communicative impairments.

Results

Males with FXS did not differ to TD children on overall dwell time to the background, body, or face regions of the naturalistic social scenes. Whilst males with FXS displayed developmentally ‘typical’ social attention, increased looking at faces was associated with both heightened anxiety and fewer social communication impairments in this group.

Conclusions

These results offer novel insights into the mechanisms associated with social attention in FXS and provide evidence to suggest that anxiety and autism symptomatology, which are both heightened in FXS, have differential effects on social attention.
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Metadata
Title
Differential effects of anxiety and autism on social scene scanning in males with fragile X syndrome
Authors
Hayley Crawford
Joanna Moss
Chris Oliver
Deborah Riby
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders / Issue 1/2017
Print ISSN: 1866-1947
Electronic ISSN: 1866-1955
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s11689-017-9189-6

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