Identifying prognostic markers in autism spectrum disorder using eye tracking.
Autism
; 24(3): 658-669, 2020 04.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31647314
ABSTRACT
While many children with autism spectrum disorder are now detected at young ages given the rise in screening and general awareness, little is known regarding the prognosis of early detected children. The brain is shaped by experience-dependent mechanisms; thus, what a child pays attention to plays a pivotal role in shaping brain development. Eye tracking can provide an index of a child's visual attention and, as such, holds promise as a technology for revealing prognostic markers. In this, 49 children aged 1-3 years with autism spectrum disorder participated in an eye-tracking test, the GeoPref Test, that revealed preference for social versus nonsocial images. Next, children participated in a comprehensive test battery 5-9 years following the initial GeoPref Test. Statistical tests examined whether early age eye tracking predicted later school-age outcomes in symptom severity, social functioning, adaptive behavior, joint attention, and IQ. Results indicated that toddlers with higher preference for geometric images demonstrated greater symptom severity and fewer gaze shifts at school age. This relationship was not found in relation to IQ or adaptive behavior. Overall, the GeoPref Test holds promise as a symptom severity prognostic tool; further development of eye-tracking paradigms may enhance prognostic power and prove valuable in validating treatment progress.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Autism Spectrum Disorder
/
Eye-Tracking Technology
Type of study:
Prognostic_studies
Limits:
Child, preschool
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Infant
/
Male
Language:
En
Journal:
Autism
Journal subject:
PSICOLOGIA
/
PSIQUIATRIA
Year:
2020
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Estados Unidos