Causation model of autism: Audiovisual brain specialization in infancy competes with social brain networks
Open accessAbstract
Earliest identifiable findings in autism indicate that the autistic brain develops differently from the typical brain in the first year of life, after a period of typical development. Twin studies suggest that autism has an environmental component contributing to causation. Increased availability of audiovisual (AV) materials and viewing practices of infants parallel the time frame of the rise in prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Studies have shown an association between ASD and increased TV/cable screen exposure in infancy, suggesting AV exposure in infancy as a possible contributing cause of ASD. Infants are attracted to the saliency of AV materials, yet do not have the experience to recognize these stimuli as socially relevant. The authors present a developmental model of autism in which exposure to screen-based AV input in genetically susceptible infants stimulates specialization of non-social sensory processing in the brain. Through a process of neuroplasticity, the autistic infant develops the skills that are driven by the AV viewing. The AV developed neuronal pathways compete with preference for social processing, negatively affecting development of social brain pathways and causing global developmental delay. This model explains atypical face and speech processing, as well as preference for AV synchrony over biological motion in ASD. Neural hyper-connectivity, enlarged brain size and special abilities in visual, auditory and motion processing in ASD are al…
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The absence of facial expressions, body language, and vocal tone in digital communication can make it difficult for autistic individuals to discern sarcasm, subtext, or emotional intent conveyed through text.
“The absence of facial expressions, body language, and vocal tone can make it difficult to discern sarcasm, subtext, or emotional intent conveyed through text [48].”
From The Impact of Social Media & Technology on Child and Adolescent Mental Health (2025) · cites this paper as [48]
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The Impact of Social Media & Technology on Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Masri-zada, T., Martirosyan, S., Abdou, A., Barbar, R., Kades, S., Makki, H., Haley, G., & K Agrawal, D. (2025) · Journal of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Disorders · doi:10.26502/jppd.2572-519x0242 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Yuan, G., Zhu, Z., Guo, H., Yang, H., Zhang, J., Zhang, K., Zhang, X., Lu, X., Du, J., Shi, H., et al. (2026) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-024-06665-z · Cited by 20 · see citing works
- Authors
- Heffler, K. F., & Oestreicher, L. M.
- Affiliations
- Drexel University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Heffler, Karen Frankel
- Venue
- Medical Hypotheses
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2016-06
- Volume
- 91
- Pages
- 114-122
- ISSN
- 0306-9877 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W772121675
- Cited by
- 59
- References
- 26
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 0.60
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Medical Hypotheses (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Education › Child Development and Digital Technology
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, social brain network, neuroplasticity, face processing, speech processing, biological motion, brain size, early intervention, developmental model
- MeSH terms
- Facial Recognition, Animals, Auditory Perceptual Disorders, Autistic Disorder, Brain, Brain Mapping, Child, Child Development Disorders, Pervasive, Child, Preschool, Disease Models, Animal, Environment, Face, Humans, Infant, Models, Neurological, Neuronal Plasticity, Social Behavior, Speech, Television, Time Factors
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