We used eye-tracking to investigate the roles of enhanced discrimination and peripheral selection in superior visual search in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children with ASD were faster at visual search than their typically developing peers. However, group differences in performance and eye-movements did not vary with the level of difficulty of…

Adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have shown deficits in switching between rules governing their behaviour, as have high-functioning children with ASD. However, there are few studies of flexibility in lower-functioning children with ASD. The current study investigated this phenomenon with a group of low-functioning children with ASD…

This study assessed the efficacy of "FaceSay," a computer-based social skills training program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). This randomized controlled study (N = 49) indicates that providing children with low-functioning autism (LFA) and high functioning autism (HFA) opportunities to practice attending to eye gaze,…

The ability to interpret emotions in facial expressions is crucial for social functioning across the lifespan. Facial expression recognition develops rapidly during infancy and improves with age during the preschool years. However, the developmental trajectory from late childhood to adulthood is less clear. We tested older children, adolescents…

In this study, we investigated relations between infants' understanding of intentional actions and measures of social responsiveness during a transitional period, 9- to 11-months. Infants (N = 52) were tested in visual habituation paradigms tapping their understanding of the relation between a person and the object of her attention. Measures of…

Visual perception may be a developmental prerequisite to some types of social understanding. The ability to perceive social information given visual motion appears to develop early. However, children with autism have profound deficits in social cognitive function and may fail to see social motion in the same way that typically developing children…

The ability of 18 aggressive and 21 nonaggressive men with moderate mental retardation to label and discriminate facial expressions was investigated. Although aggressive participants did not have greater difficulty with emotion labeling, they did have a negative emotional bias for facial expressions that were ambiguous to them. (Author/CR)

Procedures for programing computers to deal with handicapped students, problems in selective attention, visual discrimination, reaction time differences, short term memory, transfer and generalization, recognition of mistakes, and social skills are discussed. (CL)

This booklet examines the educational value of jigsaw puzzles and gives practical suggestions on how to select and make them for use by children ages 1 through 8. It asserts that jigsaw puzzles provide children with the opportunity to develop problem-solving strategies, and discusses a theory of adult-child interaction that encourages the…

The catalog was developed to provide information about more than 200 recommended learning games and toys for all children, especially those with learning problems or physical handicaps. The materials listed provide educational experiences through game formats and help to develop gross and fine motor skills, math and reading readiness skills,…