Diminished sensitivity to sad facial expressions in high functioning autism spectrum disorders is associated with symptomatology and adaptive functioning

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

Volumn 41, Issue 11, 2011, Pages 1475-1486

  Wallace, Gregory L ^a   Case, Laura K ^a   Harms, Madeline B ^a   Silvers, Jennifer A ^a   Kenworthy, Lauren ^a,b   Martin, Alex ^a  

^a NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH   (United States)

^b CHILDREN'S NATIONAL MEDICAL CENTER   (United States)

Author keywords

Adaptive functioning; Autism; Emotion; Face; Symptomatology

Indexed keywords

ADOLESCENT; ARTICLE; AUTISM; CLINICAL ARTICLE; COMPULSION; DISEASE ASSOCIATION; EMOTION; FACIAL EXPRESSION; FEMALE; HUMAN; INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT; MALE; MENTAL FUNCTION; PRIORITY JOURNAL; PSYCHOLOGIC ASSESSMENT; SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS; SEX RATIO; SOCIAL INTERACTION; STEREOTYPY; SYMPTOMATOLOGY; VERBAL COMMUNICATION;

ADAPTATION, PSYCHOLOGICAL; ADOLESCENT; CASE-CONTROL STUDIES; CHILD; CHILD DEVELOPMENT DISORDERS, PERVASIVE; EMOTIONS; FACIAL EXPRESSION; FEMALE; HUMANS; INTELLIGENCE; MALE; NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS; SEVERITY OF ILLNESS INDEX; VISUAL PERCEPTION;

EID: 82955173699     PISSN: 01623257     EISSN: 15733432     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/s10803-010-1170-0     Document Type: Article

References (69)

1. R Adolphs L Sears J Piven 2001 Abnormal processing of social information from faces in autism Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 13 2 232 240 11244548 10.1162/089892901564289 (Pubitemid 32209765)
2. R Adolphs D Tranel 2004 Impaired judgments of sadness but not happiness following bilateral amygdala damage Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 16 3 453 462 15072680 10.1162/089892904322926782 (Pubitemid 38392403)
3. R Adolphs D Tranel H Damasio AR Damasio 1995 Fear and the human amygdala Journal of Neuroscience 15 9 5879 5891 7666173
4. American Psychiatric Association. (1994). The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, (DSM-IV) (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Authors.
5. CJ Anderson J Colombo JD Shaddy 2006 Visual scanning and pupillary responses in young children with autism spectrum disorder Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology 28 7 1238 1256 16840248 10.1080/ 13803390500376790 (Pubitemid 44091938)
6. C Ashwin S Baron-Cohen S Wheelright M O'Riordan ET Bullmore 2007 Differential activation of the amygdala and the 'social brain' during fearful face-processing in Asperger syndrome Neuropsychologia 45 1 2 14 16806312 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2006.04.014 (Pubitemid 44830044)
7. C Ashwin E Chapman L Colle S Baron-Cohen 2006 Impaired recognition of negative basic emotions in autism: A test of the amygdala theory Social Neuroscience 1 3-4 349 363 18633799 10.1080/17470910601040772
8. PJ Benson DI Perrett 1991 Synthesising continuous-tone caricatures Image and Vision Computing 9 2 123 129 10.1016/0262-8856(91)90022-H (Pubitemid 21668857)
9. DS Berry 1990 What can a moving face tell us? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 58 6 1004 1014 2391636 10.1037/0022-3514.58.6.1004
10. RJR Blair 2008 Fine cuts of empathy and the amygdala: Dissociable deficits in psychopathy and autism Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology 61 1 157 170 10.1080/17470210701508855
11. RJR Blair E Colledge L Murray DGV Mitchell 2001 A selective impairment in the processing of sad and fearful expressions in children with psychopathic tendencies Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 29 6 491 498 11761283 10.1023/A:1012225108281 (Pubitemid 33745784)
12. RJR Blair JS Morris CD Frith DI Perrett RJ Dolan 1999 Dissociable neural responses to facial expressions of sadness and anger Brain 122 5 883 893 10355673 10.1093/brain/122.5.883 (Pubitemid 29219262)
13. Z Boraston SJ Blakemore R Chilvers D Skuse 2007 Impaired sadness recognition is linked to social interaction deficit in autism Neuropsychologia 45 7 1501 1510 17196998 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2006.11.010 (Pubitemid 46097009)
14. C Bormann-Kischkel M Vilsmeier B Baude 1995 The development of emotional concepts in autism Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 36 7 1243 1259 8847383 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1995.tb01368.x
15. JK Buitelaar M Van der Wees H Swaab-Barneveld RJ Van der Gaag 1999 Theory of mind and emotion-recognition functioning in autistic spectrum disorders and in psychiatric control and normal children Development and Psychopathology 11 1 39 58 10208355 10.1017/S0954579499001947
16. L Capps N Yirmiya M Sigman 1992 Understanding of simple and complex emotions in nonretarted children with autism Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 33 7 1169 1182 1400699 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1992.tb00936.x
17. F Castelli 2005 Understanding emotions from standardized facial expressions in autism and normal development Autism 9 4 428 449 16155058 10.1177/1362361305056082 (Pubitemid 41489549)
18. G Celani MW Battacchi L Arcidiacono 1999 The understanding of the emotional meaning of facial expressions in people with autism Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 29 1 57 66 10097995 10.1023/A:1025970600181 (Pubitemid 29118072)
19. Constantino, J. N. (2002). Social responsiveness scale. Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Association.
20. JN Constantino SA Davis RD Todd MK Schindler MM Gross SL Brophy LM Metzger CS Shoushtari R Splinter W Reich 2003 Validation of a brief quantitative measure of autistic traits: Comparison of the Social Responsiveness Scale with the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 33 4 427 433 12959421 10.1023/A:1025014929212 (Pubitemid 37127938)
21. JN Constantino T Przybeck D Friesen RD Todd 2000 Reciprocal social behavior in children with and without pervasive developmental disorders Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics 21 1 2 11 10706343 10.1097/00004703-200002000-00002
22. SG Costafreda MJ Brammer AS David CHY Fu 2008 Predictors of amygdala activation during the processing of emotional stimuli: A meta-analysis of 385 PET and fMRI studies Brain Research Reviews 58 1 57 70 18076995 10.1016/j.brainresrev.2007.10.012
23. I Dziobek K Rogers S Fleck M Bahnemann HR Heekeren OT Wolf A Convit 2008 Dissociation of cognitive and emotional empathy in adults with Asperger syndrome using the multifaceted empathy test (MET) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 38 3 464 473 17990089 10.1007/s10803-007-0486-x
24. P Ekman WV Friesen 1976 Measuring facial movement Environmental Psychology and Nonverbal Behavior 1 1 56 75 10.1007/BF01115465
25. HA Elfenbein N Ambady 2002 On the universality and cultural specificity of emotion recognition: A meta-analysis Psychological Bulletin 128 2 203 235 11931516 10.1037/0033-2909.128.2.203
26. B Gepner C Deruelle S Grynfeltt 2001 Motion and emotion: A novel approach to the study of face processing by young autistic children Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 31 1 37 45 11439752 10.1023/A:1005609629218
27. TF Gross 2004 The perception of four basic emotions in human and nonhuman faces by children with autism and other developmental disabilities Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 32 5 469 480 15500027 10.1023/B:JACP.0000037777.17698. 01 (Pubitemid 39158506)
28. F Happé U Frith 2006 The weak coherence account: Detail-focused cognitive style in autism spectrum disorders Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 36 1 5 25 16450045 10.1007/s10803-005-0039-0
29. MB Harms A Martin GL Wallace 2010 Facial emotion recognition in autism spectrum disorders: A review of behavioral and neuroimaging studies Neuropsychology Review 20 3 290 322 20809200 10.1007/s11065-010-9138-6
30. Harrison, P. L., & Oakland, T. (2003). Adaptive behavior assessment system-II. San Antonio, TX: Harcourt Assessment, Inc.
31. NA Harrison CE Wilson HD Critchley 2007 Processing of observed pupil size modulates perception of sadness and predicts empathy Emotion 7 4 724 729 18039039 10.1037/1528-3542.7.4.724
32. NK Harwood LJ Hall AJ Shinkfield 1999 Recognition of facial emotional expressions from moving and static displays by individuals with mental retardation American Journal of Mental Retardation 104 3 270 278 10349468 10.1352/0895-8017(1999)104<0270:ROFEEF>2.0.CO;2 (Pubitemid 29397979)
33. F Heider M Simmel 1944 An experimental study of apparent behavior American Journal of Psychology 57 2 243 259 10.2307/1416950
34. RP Hobson 1986 The autistic child's appraisal of expressions of emotion Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 27 3 321 342 3733915 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1986.tb01836.x (Pubitemid 16091302)
35. M Homer MD Rutherford 2008 Individuals with autism can categorize facial expressions Child Neuropsychology 14 5 419 437 18720100 10.1080/ 09297040802291715
36. MA Howard PE Cowell J Boucher P Broks A Mayes A Farrant N Roberts 2000 Convergent neuroanatomical and behavioural evidence of an amygdala hypothesis of autism Neuroreport 11 13 2931 2935 11006968 10.1097/00001756-200009110-00020
37. K Humphreys N Minshew GL Leonard M Behrmann 2007 A fine-grained analysis of facial expression processing in high-functioning adults with autism Neuropsychologia 45 4 685 695 17010395 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2006.08.003 (Pubitemid 44958746)
38. L Kanner 1943 Autistic disturbances of affective contact Nervous Child 2 217 250
39. LE Kenworthy DO Black GL Wallace T Ahluvalia AE Wagner LM Sirian 2005 Disorganization: The forgotten executive dysfunction in high functioning autism (HFA) spectrum disorders Developmental Neuropsychology 28 3 809 827 16266250 10.1207/s15326942dn2803-4 (Pubitemid 41746980)
40. L Kenworthy L Case MB Harms A Martin GL Wallace 2010 Adaptive behavior ratings correlate with symptomatology and IQ among individuals with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 40 4 416 423 19949846 10.1007/s10803-009-0911-4
41. WD Killgore DA Yurgelun-Todd 2007 Unconscious processing of facial affect in children and adolescents Social Neuroscience 2 1 28 47 18633805 10.1080/17470910701214186 (Pubitemid 46738958)
42. JE Lainhart ED Bigler M Bocian H Coon E Dinh G Dawson CK Deutsch M Dunn A Estes H Tager-Flusberg S Folstein S Hepburn S Hyman W Mc Mahon N Minshew J Munson K Osann S Ozonoff P Rodier S Rogers M Sigman MA Spence CJ Stodgell F Volkmar 2006 Head circumference and height in autism: A study by the Collaborative Program of Excellence in Autism American Journal of Medical Genetics 140 21 2257 2274 17022081 (Pubitemid 44684952)
43. M Liss B Harel D Fein D Allen M Dunn C Feinstein R Morris L Waterhouse I Rapin 2001 Predictors and correlates of adaptive functioning in children with developmental disorders Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 31 2 219 230 11450820 10.1023/A:1010707417274 (Pubitemid 37490167)
44. C Lord S Risi L Lambrecht EH Cook Jr BL Leventhal PC DiLavore A Pickles M Rutter 2000 The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Generic: A standard measure of social and communication deficits associated with the spectrum of autism Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 30 3 205 223 11055457 10.1023/A:1005592401947
45. C Lord M Rutter A LeCouteur 1994 Autism diagnostic interview-revised-a revised version of a diagnostic interview for caregivers of individuals with possible pervasive developmental disorders Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 24 5 659 685 7814313 10.1007/BF02172145 (Pubitemid 24309810)
46. AA Marsh RJR Blair 2008 Deficits in facial affect recognition among antisocial populations: A meta-analysis Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 32 3 454 465 17915324 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2007.08.003 (Pubitemid 351173329)
47. CS Monk SJ Weng JL Wiggins N Kurapati HM Louro M Carrasco J Maslowsky S Risi C Lord 2010 Neural circuitry of emotional face processing in autism spectrum disorders Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience 35 2 105 114 10.1503/jpn.090085
48. L Mottron M Dawson I Soulières B Hubert J Burack 2006 Enhanced perceptual functioning in autism: An update, and eight principles of autistic perception Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 36 1 27 43 16453071 10.1007/s10803-005-0040-7
49. KA Pelphrey JP Morris G Mc Carthy KS Labar 2007 Perception of dynamic changes in facial affect and identity in autism Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience 2 2 140 149 18174910 10.1093/scan/nsm010
50. KA Pelphrey RJ Sasson JS Reznick G Paul BD Goldman J Piven 2002 Visual scanning of faces in autism Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 32 4 249 261 12199131 10.1023/A:1016374617369 (Pubitemid 37490176)
51. Jones C. R., Pickles, A., Falcaro, M., Marsden, A. J., Happé, F., Scott, S. K., Sauter, D., Tregay, J., Phillips, R. J., Baird, G., Simonoff, E., & Charman, T. (2010). A multimodal approach to emotion recognition ability in autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, (in press). doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02328.x.
52. M Prior B Dahlstrom TL Squires 1990 Autistic children's knowledge of thinking and feeling states in other people Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 31 4 587 601 2365761 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1990.tb00799.x (Pubitemid 20228469)
53. L Robel K Ennouri HN Piana L Vaivre-Douret A Perier MF Flament MC Mouren-Simeoni 2004 Discrimination of face identities and expressions in children with autism: Same or different? European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 13 4 227 233 15365893 10.1007/s00787-004-0409-8 (Pubitemid 39279154)
54. J Rogers E Viding RJ Blair U Frith F Happé 2006 Autism spectrum disorder and psychopathy: shared cognitive underpinnings or double hit? Psychological Medicine 36 12 1789 1798 17018169 10.1017/S0033291706008853 (Pubitemid 44824740)
55. DA Rowland DI Perrett 1995 Manipulating facial appearance through shape and color IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications 15 5 70 76 10.1109/38.403830
56. MD Rutherford KA Clements AB Sekuler 2007 Differences in discrimination of eye and mouth displacement in autism spectrum disorders Vision Research 47 15 2099 2110 17559905 10.1016/j.visres.2007.01.029 (Pubitemid 46907244)
57. MD Rutherford AM Towns 2008 Scan path differences and similarities during emotion perception in those with and without autism spectrum disorders Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 38 7 1371 1381 18297386 10.1007/s10803-007-0525-7
58. DJ Scambler S Hepburn MD Rutherford EA Wehner SJ Rogers 2007 Emotional responsivity in children with autism, children with other developmental disabilities, and children with typical development Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 37 3 553 563 16933089 10.1007/s10803-006-0186-y (Pubitemid 46355990)
59. CM Schumann J Hamstra BL Goodlin-Jones H Kwon AL Reiss DG Amaral 2004 The amygdala is enlarged in children but not adolescents with autism; The hippocampus is enlarged at all ages Journal of Neuroscience 24 28 6392 6401 15254095 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1297-04.2004 (Pubitemid 38944230)
60. DJ Siegel NJ Minshew G Goldstein 1996 Wechsler IQ profiles in diagnosis of high-functioning autism Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 26 4 389 406 8863091 10.1007/BF02172825 (Pubitemid 26269871)
61. MD Sigman C Kasari JH Kwon N Yirmiya 1992 Responses to the negative emotions of others by autistic, mentally-retarded, and normal children Child Development 63 4 796 807 1505241 10.2307/1131234
62. JP Teunisse B de Gelder 2001 Impaired categorical perception of facial expressions in high-functioning adolescents with autism Child Neuropsychology 7 1 1 14 11815876 (Pubitemid 34146210)
63. S Wallace M Coleman A Bailey 2008 An investigation of basic facial expression recognition in autism spectrum disorders Cognition & Emotion 22 7 1353 1380 10.1080/02699930701782153
64. AT Wang M Dapretto AR Hariri M Sigman SY Bookheimer 2004 Neural correlates of facial affect processing in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 43 4 481 490 15187809 10.1097/00004583-200404000-00015 (Pubitemid 38812389)
65. Wechsler, D. (1991). Wechsler intelligence scale for children (3rd ed.). San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation.
66. Wechsler, D. (1997). Wechsler adult intelligence scale (3rd ed.). San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation.
67. Wechsler, D. (1999). Wechsler abbreviated scale of intelligence. San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation.
68. Wechsler, D. (2003). Wechsler intelligence scale for children (4th ed.). San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation.
69. M Woodworth D Waschbusch 2008 Emotional processing in children with conduct problems and callous/unemotional traits Child Care Health and Development 34 2 234 244 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2007.00792.x (Pubitemid 351228119)