http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/03/30/autistic-children-are-less-sensitive-to-the-movements-of-living-things/ Mon, 26 Nov 2012 12:00:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/03/30/autistic-children-are-less-sensitive-to-the-movements-of-living-things/#comment-2982 Ruth Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:42:15 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/03/30/autistic-children-are-less-sensitive-to-the-movements-of-living-things/#comment-2982 This is terrible science: technically, all the study proves is that autistic children aren't fooled by the point-light animations. Not responding to point-light animations as real animal movement doesn't prove anything at all about how one might respond to real animal movement. It merely demonstrates how one responds to point-light animations. And how often do we encounter those in our everyday life? To a non-autistic person, sure, maybe that's close enough to the same thing, and a few points of light placed at key joints can simulate a moving animal... but this is because their brain is taking a lot of shortcuts in processing the visual data. Non-autistic brains are prone to very efficiently leaping to conclusions based on limited evidence; this improves processing speed but reduces accuracy, often significantly. So their brains see animal movement when what is actually in front of them is animated dots. Compared to an autistic person, non-autistics are sensorially numb, process information slowly, and are terrible at spotting patterns. Pointing out that a particular visual illusion fools non-autistics but doesn't fool autistics doesn't prove that there's something wrong with the autistic group, it just proves that they're less prone to being taken in by illusions. If you look at what the test is actually testing — the ability to see what's really there rather than what you expect to see — then the autistic children are out-performing the non-autistics. They're not fooled by the illusion. That's interesting in its own right, even if it's less flattering to the vanities and prejudices of non-autistics. This is terrible science: technically, all the study proves is that autistic children aren’t fooled by the point-light animations.
Not responding to point-light animations as real animal movement doesn’t prove anything at all about how one might respond to real animal movement. It merely demonstrates how one responds to point-light animations. And how often do we encounter those in our everyday life?
To a non-autistic person, sure, maybe that’s close enough to the same thing, and a few points of light placed at key joints can simulate a moving animal… but this is because their brain is taking a lot of shortcuts in processing the visual data. Non-autistic brains are prone to very efficiently leaping to conclusions based on limited evidence; this improves processing speed but reduces accuracy, often significantly. So their brains see animal movement when what is actually in front of them is animated dots. Compared to an autistic person, non-autistics are sensorially numb, process information slowly, and are terrible at spotting patterns. Pointing out that a particular visual illusion fools non-autistics but doesn’t fool autistics doesn’t prove that there’s something wrong with the autistic group, it just proves that they’re less prone to being taken in by illusions.
If you look at what the test is actually testing — the ability to see what’s really there rather than what you expect to see — then the autistic children are out-performing the non-autistics. They’re not fooled by the illusion. That’s interesting in its own right, even if it’s less flattering to the vanities and prejudices of non-autistics.

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/03/30/autistic-children-are-less-sensitive-to-the-movements-of-living-things/#comment-2981 LL Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:57:40 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/03/30/autistic-children-are-less-sensitive-to-the-movements-of-living-things/#comment-2981 Very interesting and clear, thank you. I wonder if even using simple gestures rhythmically in time with speech would assist students with autism in focussing. Will be interested to see where this research goes. Very interesting and clear, thank you.
I wonder if even using simple gestures rhythmically in time with speech would assist students with autism in focussing. Will be interested to see where this research goes.

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/03/30/autistic-children-are-less-sensitive-to-the-movements-of-living-things/#comment-2980 doug l Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:56:14 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/03/30/autistic-children-are-less-sensitive-to-the-movements-of-living-things/#comment-2980 Very interesting experiment. I wonder what kind of results the research would show if the tests were administerd to chimps. Hope to find out more. Very interesting experiment. I wonder what kind of results the research would show if the tests were administerd to chimps. Hope to find out more.

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/03/30/autistic-children-are-less-sensitive-to-the-movements-of-living-things/#comment-2979 Paper Hand Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:28:57 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/03/30/autistic-children-are-less-sensitive-to-the-movements-of-living-things/#comment-2979 Interesting. Doesn't really surprise me, what with the general problems with sensory perception. With visual processing being poor to begin with, it's not surprising that such highly-simplified representations of humans would be less clear to autistics. Interesting. Doesn’t really surprise me, what with the general problems with sensory perception. With visual processing being poor to begin with, it’s not surprising that such highly-simplified representations of humans would be less clear to autistics.

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/03/30/autistic-children-are-less-sensitive-to-the-movements-of-living-things/#comment-2978 LostInDaJungle Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:14:33 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/03/30/autistic-children-are-less-sensitive-to-the-movements-of-living-things/#comment-2978 To even take what Lilian said a bit further, could this discovery lead to teaching materials aimed at our ever increasing autistic populations? To even take what Lilian said a bit further, could this discovery lead to teaching materials aimed at our ever increasing autistic populations?

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/03/30/autistic-children-are-less-sensitive-to-the-movements-of-living-things/#comment-2977 Tsu Dho Nimh Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:52:45 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/03/30/autistic-children-are-less-sensitive-to-the-movements-of-living-things/#comment-2977 Could this be used as an early screening method? Could this be used as an early screening method?

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/03/30/autistic-children-are-less-sensitive-to-the-movements-of-living-things/#comment-2976 Lilian Nattel Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:39:35 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/03/30/autistic-children-are-less-sensitive-to-the-movements-of-living-things/#comment-2976 That's fascinating. I wonder if that discovery might have practical implications in helping autistic children by synchronizing sound and movement in engaging them. That’s fascinating. I wonder if that discovery might have practical implications in helping autistic children by synchronizing sound and movement in engaging them.

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