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Atypical habituation to repetitive information has been commonly reported in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) but it is not yet clear whether similar abnormalities are present in Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1). We employed a cross-syndrome design using a novel eye tracking paradigm to measure habituation in preschoolers with NF1, children with idiopathic ASD and typically developing (TD) children. Eye movements were recorded to examine fixation duration to simultaneously presented repeating and novel stimuli. Children with NF1 showed a bias for longer look durations to repeating stimuli at the expense of novel stimuli, and slower habituation in NF1 was associated with elevated ASD traits. These findings could indicate aberrant modulation of bottom-up attentional networks that interact with the emergence of ASD phenotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated sex and age differences in autistic behaviours in children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) who scored within the clinical range on the Social Responsiveness Scale - Second Edition (T score ≥ 60). Thirty-four males and 28 females (3–16 years) were assessed with the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule - Second Edition and Autism Diagnostic Interview - Revised. Across both measures, males exhibited greater social communication deficits relative to females. Age-related abatement of social communication difficulties was observed for males but not females. Conversely, no sex differences were found for restricted/repetitive behaviours, which were stable over time for both males and females. The findings are discussed within the context of broader neurodevelopmental considerations that are common in NF1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]