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Visual perceptual and social attentional differences have also been documented more subtly among parents of individuals with ASD. Atypicalities in global visual processing are associated with increased ASD symptom severity, shedding light into potential cognitive mechanisms contributing to the ASD phenotype.
![central coherence central coherence](https://psychologysays.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/The-theory-of-central-coherence-what-it-consists-of-and-1024x538.jpg)
Differences in visual perceptual styles, including a local perceptual bias (i.e., enhanced perceptual functioning theory), are also thought to underlie some aspects of the social-communicative difficulties observed in autism spectrum disorder (ASD a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and the presence of repetitive behaviors or circumscribed interests) (APA, 2013).īackground: Individuals with ASD often demonstrate a local visual processing bias, with some evidence showing concurrent impaired global processing. A reduced bias towards seeing the "big picture" (i.e., weak central coherence theory) have been related to weaker social skills, verbal and nonverbal communication, and cognition more generally (Behrmann, Thomas, & Humphreys, 2006 Burnette et al., 2005 Happe, 1999 Jarrold, Butler, Cottington, & Jimenez, 2000 Jolliffe & Baron-Cohen, 2000 Klin, Jones, Schultz, Volkmar, & Cohen, 2002 Van Eylen, Boets, Steyaert, Wagemans, & Noens, 2018).
![central coherence central coherence](http://files.constantcontact.com/43e22008001/b3b7a37d-3be5-4af7-8573-4d6b1f24d459.jpg)
These processes in tandem support the fluid interpretation of our environment, including the complex nuances and dynamics defining social-communicative interactions.