Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is estimated to affect up to 1 in 68 of us. Within the general population individual differences in the traits associated with ASD are correlated with individual differences in cognition, perception, and neural function suggesting that ASD occurs on a continuum. This dimensional view of ASD is at odds with the current clinical approach of defining someone as either having, or not having, ASD. This project will investigate the diagnostic boundary of ASD. It will use multivariate analyses of questionnaire and EEG data to investigate whether the core symptom domains and neural markers of ASD vary continuously across the population, or whether there is a discrete difference between those with and without ASD. It will also evaluate the extent to which other factors associated with the autism phenotype such as anxiety and sensory sensitivity may predict diagnosis status. The output from the project will provide a much richer understanding of the nature of high functioning ASD and will develop a forum for discussing the implications with a wide audience.
Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)
Autism Research Database (AFD)
