Comparison of face attention bias in adults with ASD, ADHD, or comorbid ADHD+ASD.

Researchers studied how adults with autism, ADHD, or both conditions pay attention to faces compared to typical adults. They found that people with ADHD alone actually pay more attention to faces than usual, while people with autism don't show the typical increased attention to faces. Those with both conditions didn't show increased face attention. This suggests these conditions affect social attention in different ways.

This preregistered study examined face attention bias (FAB) - the tendency to pay more attention to faces - across adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, and comorbid ASD+ADHD using a dot-probe paradigm. Results revealed distinct attentional profiles: comparison adults showed expected face attention bias, while adults with ASD alone did not demonstrate this bias. Notably, adults with ADHD (without ASD) showed heightened face attention bias, suggesting increased automatic attention to faces through covert mechanisms rather than eye movements. Adults with comorbid ASD+ADHD did not show increased face attention bias.

The findings indicate that ADHD may involve heightened facial attention that could relate to social symptoms, highlighting distinct attentional mechanisms between neurodevelopmental conditions.

Findings suggest distinct attentional profiles between ASD and ADHD that may inform differential diagnosis and intervention approaches. The heightened face attention in ADHD could be relevant for understanding social difficulties in this population and developing targeted supports.

Sample size not reported, limiting interpretation of statistical power. Single study design without replication. Limited generalizability beyond adult populations. Unclear whether findings reflect broader social attention patterns or specific experimental context.

Faces are special for humans. This importance is reflected in increased relative attention to faces, referred to as face attention bias (FAB). This preregistered study investigated FAB transdiagnostically in two neurodevelopmental disorders associated with social symptoms, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We assessed exogenous selective attention to faces using a dot-probe paradigm in adults with ASD, adults with ADHD, adults with both and non-clinical comparison adults.

While comparison adults showed FAB as expected, adults with ASD did not. Yet, the between-group difference in FAB was not credible, contrary to our hypothesis. Critically, adults with ADHD but no ASD showed increased FAB, suggesting heightened exogenous selective attention towards faces. This increase was not reflected in oculomotor behaviour, indicating covert attentional mechanisms.

Adults with comorbid ASD and ADHD did not show increased FAB. Saccades were produced faster towards face-cued targets across all groups, but no significant interaction with group emerged regarding oculomotor behaviour. These findings unveil an attentional signature in ADHD: a heightened bias for faces possibly connected to social symptoms. Furthermore, they highlight the nuanced and distinct attentional profiles in different neurodevelopmental disorders, underscoring the critical need to understand shared and distinct mechanisms of ASD and ADHD.