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Atypical pupillary light reflex in 2–6‐year‐old children with autism spectrum disorders
Author(s) -
Dinalankara Dinalankara M. R.,
Miles Judith H.,
Nicole Takahashi T.,
Yao Gang
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
autism research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.656
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1939-3806
pISSN - 1939-3792
DOI - 10.1002/aur.1745
Subject(s) - autism , pupil , psychology , pupillary light reflex , autism spectrum disorder , typically developing , pupillary reflex , audiology , reflex , pupillometry , pupillary response , developmental psychology , association (psychology) , pediatrics , clinical psychology , medicine , neuroscience , psychotherapist
The purpose of this study was to investigate pupillary light reflex (PLR) in 2–6‐years‐old children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). A total of 117 medication‐free 2–6‐year‐old boys participated in this study. Sixty participants were diagnosed with ASD (the “ASD group”) and the other 57 were in the control group of typical development (the “TD group”). A questionnaire was completed by the parent/guardian for assessing potential dysfunctions in the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The base pupil radius, PLR latency, and constriction time showed a significant age‐related trend in both the ASD and TD groups. The base pupil size increased with age in the typically developing children, but not in the ASD group. The ASD group showed more symptoms related to ANS dysfunctions. An association between abnormal sweating with base pupil radius and PLR constriction was observed in the TD group but not the ASD group. The different association of PLR parameters with ANS dysfunction may suggest disrupted autonomic controls in children with ASD. Autism Res 2017, 10: 829–838 . © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.