Dataset Information

The Importance of Networking in Autism Gaze Analysis.

ABSTRACT: Visual scanning of faces in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been intensively studied using eye-tracking technology. However, most of studies have relied on the same analytic approach based on the quantification of fixation time, which may have failed to reveal some important features of the scanning strategies employed by individuals with ASD. In the present study, we examined the scanning of faces in a group of 20 preschoolers with ASD and their typically developing (TD) peers, using both classical fixation time approach and a new developed approach based on transition matrices and network analysis. We found between group differences in the eye region in terms of fixation time, with increased right eye fixation time for the ASD group and increased left eye fixation time for the TD group. Our complementary network approach revealed that the left eye might play the role of an anchor in the scanning strategies of TD children but not in that of children with ASD. In ASD, fixation time on the different facial parts was almost exclusively dependent on exploratory activity. Our study highlights the importance of developing innovative measures that bear the potential of revealing new properties of the scanning strategies employed by individuals with ASD.

SUBMITTER: Guillon Q

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4619728 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The Importance of Networking in Autism Gaze Analysis.

Guillon Quentin Q Afzali Mohammad H MH Rogé Bernadette B Baduel Sophie S Kruck Jeanne J Hadjikhani Nouchine N

PloS one 20151023 10

Visual scanning of faces in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been intensively studied using eye-tracking technology. However, most of studies have relied on the same analytic approach based on the quantification of fixation time, which may have failed to reveal some important features of the scanning strategies employed by individuals with ASD. In the present study, we examined the scanning of faces in a group of 20 preschoolers with ASD and their typically developing (TD) pee ...[more]

PMID: 26496498

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Project description:ImportanceAtypical eye gaze is an early-emerging symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and holds promise for autism screening. Current eye-tracking methods are expensive and require special equipment and calibration. There is a need for scalable, feasible methods for measuring eye gaze.ObjectiveUsing computational methods based on computer vision analysis, we evaluated whether an app deployed on an iPhone or iPad that displayed strategically designed brief movies could elicit and quantify differences in eye-gaze patterns of toddlers with ASD vs typical development.Design, setting, and participantsA prospective study in pediatric primary care clinics was conducted from December 2018 to March 2020, comparing toddlers with and without ASD. Caregivers of 1564 toddlers were invited to participate during a well-child visit. A total of 993 toddlers (63%) completed study measures. Enrollment criteria were aged 16 to 38 months, healthy, English- or Spanish-speaking caregiver, and toddler able to sit and view the app. Participants were screened with the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers-Revised With Follow-up during routine care. Children were referred by their pediatrician for diagnostic evaluation based on results of the checklist or if the caregiver or pediatrician was concerned. Forty toddlers subsequently were diagnosed with ASD.ExposuresA mobile app displayed on a smartphone or tablet.Main outcomes and measuresComputer vision analysis quantified eye-gaze patterns elicited by the app, which were compared between toddlers with ASD vs typical development.ResultsMean age of the sample was 21.1 months (range, 17.1-36.9 months), and 50.6% were boys, 59.8% White individuals, 16.5% Black individuals, 23.7% other race, and 16.9% Hispanic/Latino individuals. Distinctive eye-gaze patterns were detected in toddlers with ASD, characterized by reduced gaze to social stimuli and to salient social moments during the movies, and previously unknown deficits in coordination of gaze with speech sounds. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve discriminating ASD vs non-ASD using multiple gaze features was 0.90 (95% CI, 0.82-0.97).Conclusions and relevanceThe app reliably measured both known and new gaze biomarkers that distinguished toddlers with ASD vs typical development. These novel results may have potential for developing scalable autism screening tools, exportable to natural settings, and enabling data sets amenable to machine learning.

Project description:BackgroundShifts in eye gaze communicate social information that allows people to respond to another's behavior, interpret motivations driving behavior, and anticipate subsequent behavior. Understanding the social communicative nature of gaze shifts requires the ability to link eye movements and mental state information about objects in the world. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by atypical sensitivity to eye gaze cues, which impacts social communication and relationships. We evaluated whether reduced visual attention to faces explains this difficulty in ASD.MethodsWe employed eye-tracking technology to measure visual attention to faces and gazed-at objects in a 4-alternative forced choice paradigm in adolescents with ASD and typically developing (TD) adolescents. Participants determined the target object that an actor was looking at in ecologically rich scenes. We controlled for group differences in task engagement and data quality.ResultsIn the Gaze Following task, adolescents with ASD were relatively impaired (Cohen's d = 0.63) in the ability to identify the target object. In contrast to predictions, both groups exhibited comparable fixation durations to faces and target objects. Among both groups, individuals who looked longer at the target objects, but not faces, performed better in the task. Finally, among the ASD group, parent SSIS-Social Skills ratings were positively associated with performance on the Gaze Following task. In the Gaze Perception task, there was a similar pattern of results, which provides internal replication of the findings that visual attention to faces is not related to difficulty interpreting eye gaze cues. Together, these findings indicate that adolescents with ASD are capable of following gaze, but have difficulty linking gaze shifts with mental state information.LimitationsAdditional work is necessary to determine whether these findings generalize to individuals across the full autism spectrum. New paradigms that manipulate component processes of eye gaze processing need to be tested to confirm these interpretations.ConclusionsReduced visual attention to faces does not appear to contribute to atypical processing of eye gaze cues among adolescents with ASD. Instead, the difficulty for individuals with ASD is related to understanding the social communicative aspects of eye gaze information, which may not be extracted from visual cues alone.

Dataset Information

The Importance of Networking in Autism Gaze Analysis.

Publications

The Importance of Networking in Autism Gaze Analysis.

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