ERIC Number: EJ1474250
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jul
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0162-3257
EISSN: EISSN-1573-3432
Available Date: 2024-04-28
Infant Social Attention Associated with Elevated Likelihood for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Multi-Method Comparison
Xiaoxue Fu1; Emma Platt1; Frederick Shic2,3; Jessica Bradshaw1
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, v55 n7 p2337-2349 2025
Purpose: The study aimed to compare eye tracking (ET) and manual coding (MC) measures of attention to social and nonsocial information in infants with elevated familial likelihood (EL) of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and low likelihood of ASD (LL). ET provides a temporally and spatially sensitive tool for measuring gaze allocation. Existing evidence suggests that ET is a promising tool for detecting distinct social attention patterns that may serve as a biomarker for ASD. However, ET is prone to data loss, especially in young EL infants. Methods: To increase evidence for ET as a viable tool for capturing atypical social attention in EL infants, the current prospective, longitudinal study obtained ET and MC measures of social and nonsocial attention in 25 EL and 47 LL infants at several time points between 3 and 24 months of age. Results: ET data was obtained with a satisfactory success rate of 95.83%, albeit with a higher degree of data loss compared to MC. Infant age and ASD likelihood status did not impact the extent of ET or MC data loss. There was a significant positive association between the ET and MC measures of attention, and separate analyses of attention using ET and AC measures yielded comparable findings. These analyses indicated group differences (EL vs. LL) in age-related change in attention to social vs. nonsocial information. Conclusion: Together, the findings support infant ET as a promising approach for identifying very early markers associated with ASD likelihood.
Descriptors: Eye Movements, Attention, Infants, Autism Spectrum Disorders, At Risk Persons, Interpersonal Relationship, Social Behavior, Measurement Techniques, Correlation, Coding, Toddlers
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (DHHS/NIH); National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) (DHHS/NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: K23MH120476; R21DC017252
Author Affiliations: 1University of South Carolina, Department of Psychology, Columbia, USA; 2Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development, Seattle, USA; 3University of Washington School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Seattle, USA