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Facial Expression Decoding in Autistic and Asperger Children

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Comprehensive Guide to Autism

Abstract

It has been consistently reported that individuals with autism spectrum disorders show a specific deficit in decoding facial expression of emotions. In this chapter we will discuss empirical evidence as well as theoretical hypotheses which addressed the processing of faces in autistic and Asperger children. Although research data are not always consistent in showing behavioral deficits in facial expressions decoding, neuroimaging evidences indicated that autistic and Asperger children do activate different neural patterns, confirming autistic individuals rely on different strategies to process information of faces. Finally, it is argued that deficits in facial expression recognition could be due to the interaction of neural, cognitive, and social factors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, P.zza dell’Ateneo Nuovo, 1, 20127, Milano, Italy

    Simona Amenta

  2. Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology, Catholic University of Milan, Via Nirone, 15, 20123, Milan, Italy

    Chiara Ferrari

  3. Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Piazza Botta 6, 27100, Pavia, Italy

    Chiara Ferrari

  4. Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Milan, Largo Gemelli, 1, 20123, Milan, Italy

    Michela Balconi

Authors
  1. Simona Amenta
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  2. Chiara Ferrari
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  3. Michela Balconi
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Correspondence to Simona Amenta .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Westminster, Faculty of Science & Technology, London, United Kingdom

    Vinood B. Patel

  2. Nutritional Sciences Division and Genomics Centre, King's College London, London, United Kingdom

    Victor R. Preedy

  3. Faculty of Society and Health, Buckinghamshire New University, Middlesex, United Kingdom

    Colin R. Martin

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Amenta, S., Ferrari, C., Balconi, M. (2014). Facial Expression Decoding in Autistic and Asperger Children. In: Patel, V., Preedy, V., Martin, C. (eds) Comprehensive Guide to Autism. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4788-7_114

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4788-7_114

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-4787-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-4788-7

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