Early predispositions to preferentially orient toward cues associated with social partners
have been documented in several vertebrate species including human neonates and
domestic chicks. Human newborns at high familiar risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
show differences in their attention toward these predisposed stimuli, suggesting potential
impairments in the social-orienting mechanisms in ASD. Using embryonic exposure to
valproic acid (VPA) we modeled ASD behavioral deficits in domestic chicks. To investigate …

Predispositions to preferentially orient towards cues associated with social partners, such as
face-like stimuli or biological and animate motion, appear to guide social behavior from the
onset of life. These predispositions have been documented in several vertebrate species
including human neonates, young monkeys and newly-hatched domestic chicks. Human
newborns at high familiar risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show a remarkable deficit
in their attention toward these predisposed stimuli, either static and dynamic, compared to …