[Source: Science Daily]

As infants develop, they preferentially move towards and respond to social cues — such as voices, faces and human gestures. At the same time, their brain develops a network of regions that specialize in translating these cues, known as the ‘social brain’. However, a common observation in infants later diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is reduced sensitivity and attention towards these social cues during the first year of life. This apparent indifference to social cues is thought to ultimately hinder the normal development of the social brain at early developmental stages. A team of researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, now brings direct evidence of this hindered development during the toddler to pre-school years in autism. Their findings are published in the journal eLife.

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