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Emotion Recognition in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders

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Abstract

We examined upper facial basic emotion recognition in 57 subjects with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) (M = 13.5 years) and 33 typically developing controls (M = 14.3 years) by using a standardized computer-aided measure (The Frankfurt Test and Training of Facial Affect Recognition, FEFA). The ASD group scored lower than controls on the total scores of FEFA and perceived ambiguous stimuli more often as a negative emotion. The older ASD group (≥12 years) performed better than the younger ASD group (<12 years) on the blended emotions of FEFA. The results support the findings that individuals with ASD have difficulties in emotion recognition. However, older subjects with ASD seem to have better skills than younger subjects with ASD.

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Acknowledgments

The research was supported by The Alma and K. A. Snellman Foundation, Oulu, Finland (PI: S. Kuusikko, H. Haapsamo, M-L. Mattila); Child Psychiatric Research Foundation, Finland (PI: S. Kuusikko, M-L. Mattila); Child Psychiatric Research Foundation, Northern Ostrobothnia Hospital District Area, Finland (PI: S. Kuusikko, M-L. Mattila); Emil Aaltonen Foundation, Finland (PI: H. Ebeling); the Rinnekoti Research Foundation, Espoo, Finland (PI: M-L. Mattila); Thule Institute, University of Oulu (PI: I. Moilanen); and Juselius Foundation (PI: I. Moilanen). The Graduate School of Circumpolar Wellbeing, Health and Adaptation is acknowledged for their support. We want to thank the participants of the study, Clinical Psychologist Raija Ollikainen for translating the FEFA in Finnish, Ms Kaisa Kouri, Ms Katja Larinen, and Mr Jukka Rahko for their help in data collection, and Leena Joskitt for her statistical advises.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Clinical Medicine, Department of Child Psychiatry, University and University Hospital of Oulu, P.O. Box 26, 90029 OYS, Oulu, Finland

    Sanna Kuusikko, Helena Haapsamo, Tuula Hurtig, Marja-Leena Mattila, Hanna Ebeling, Katja Jussila & Irma Moilanen

  2. Faculty of Humanities, Logopedics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland

    Eira Jansson-Verkasalo

  3. Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University Hospital of Oulu, Oulu, Finland

    Eira Jansson-Verkasalo

  4. Institute of Health Sciences, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland

    Tuula Hurtig

  5. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, J.W. Goethe University Frankfurt/M, Deutschorden Str. 50, 60528, Frankfurt, Germany

    Sven Bölte

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  1. Sanna Kuusikko
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  2. Helena Haapsamo
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Correspondence to Sanna Kuusikko.

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Kuusikko, S., Haapsamo, H., Jansson-Verkasalo, E. et al. Emotion Recognition in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 39, 938–945 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-009-0700-0

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