Developmental deficits in social perception in autism: the role of the amygdala and fusiform face area

Autism is a severe developmental disorder marked by a triad of deficits, including impairments in reciprocal social interaction, delays in early language and communication, and the presence of restrictive, repetitive and stereotyped behaviors. In this review, it is argued that the search for the neurobiological bases of the autism spectrum disorders should focus on the social deficits, as they alone are specific to autism and they are likely to be most informative with respect to modeling the pathophysiology of the disorder. Many recent studies have documented the difficulties persons with an autism spectrum disorder have accurately perceiving facial identity and facial expressions. This behavioral literature…

• JS
  James S. McDonnell Foundation
• NI
  National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

  Awards: PO1 HD 03008, U54 MH066494‐01, PO1 HD/DC35482