Impaired representational gaze following in children with autism spectrum disorder

Congiu, Sara; Fadda, Roberta; Doneddu, Giuseppe; Striano, Tricia

doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2016.06.008

Cited by 22 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…In contrast, in our research, there was no difference between groups in engagement in a joint attention episode. However, as found in other studies (Congiu et al, 2016;Corkum & Moore, 1998;Leekam et al, 2000), children with ASD responded less to joint attention bids than TD children. When the joint attention referent was present or absent from the children's visual field, our results showed a lower frequency of RJA among ASD compared to TD children.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Initiation and response of joint attention bids in autism spectrum disorder children depend on the visibility of the target

Cilia¹,

Touchet

Vandromme

et al. 2020

Autism & Developmental Language Impairments

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Background and aims Response to joint attention (RJA) and initiation of joint attention (IJA) are impaired in pre-schoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children’s response to joint attention may depend on the presence of the target in the child's field of vision or on the type of deictic index (head and eye orientation, pointing and verbalisations) used by the adult to initiate joint attention. Methods This study deals with 50 ASD children aged from 2 years 8 months to 11 years 7 months, with a communicative level comparable to children under 31 months of age, according to the French version of the Early Social Communication Scales (ECSP, by its French acronym). We compared the aforementioned ASD children with 50 typically developing (TD) children, aged 9 to 30 months who had no communication disorders according to the ECSP. During the ECSP test, we analysed joint attention behaviours on three posters present or absent from the children's visual field. Results We did not observe any difference in the number of IJAs between groups, but ASD children were less responsive than TD children were. Our results showed a developmental progression in the responses of children with ASD if several deictic cues were used by an adult simultaneously (looking and pointing, or looking and verbalising to indicate a target), whether the referent was present or absent from the child’s visual field. In addition, we observed developmental progression when the referent was behind the child and the adult only used their gaze to refer to it. Conclusion Thus, we argue that the type of cues used affects ASD children’s response behaviours during joint attention towards a referent that may be present or absent from their visual field. Implications: Regarding the social and the sensory difficulties of children with ASD, many therapeutic approaches focus their intervention methods on non-verbal communication skills and joint attention. This fundamental research makes it possible to identify the most appropriate type of deictic index for children with ASD with developmental delay, depending on the presence or absence of the referent in the child's visual field.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Initiation and response of joint attention bids in autism spectrum disorder children depend on the visibility of the target

Cilia¹,

Touchet

Vandromme

et al. 2020

Autism & Developmental Language Impairments

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“…Individuals with ASC have particular difficulties attending to and understanding gaze (e.g. Congiu, Fadda, Doneddu, & Striano, 2016;Jones, Carr & Klin, 2008;Riby, Hancock, Jones & Hanley, 2013). In studies where children hear a new word as they are looking at one object while a speaker looks at another, children with ASC have either relied upon their own gaze or inconsistently mapped words to referents (Baron-Cohen et al, 1997;Preissler & Carey, 2005), suggesting a fundamental impairment using a speaker's gaze as a referential cue.…”

Section: Referent Selection In Children With Autism Spectrum Conditiomentioning

confidence: 99%

Referent selection in children with Autism Spectrum Condition and intellectual disabilities: Do social cues affect word-to-object or word-to-location mappings?

Field

Lewis

Allen³

2019

Research in Developmental Disabilities

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Background-There is conflicting evidence regarding whether children with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) and intellectual disabilities (ID) follow social pragmatic cues such as a speaker's eye gaze or pointing towards a novel object to assist mapping a new word onto a new object (e.g. fast mapping). Aims-We test fast mapping from a speaker's gaze and pointing towards objects in children with ASC and ID with varying chronological and receptive language ages compared with receptive language matched groups of typically developing (TD) children. Methods and Procedure-Across eight trials, a speaker gazed and/or pointed towards one out of two objects while saying a new word. Pointing was either 'referential' (with intention), or 'incidental' (without obvious intention). To investigate whether children formed more robust word-to-object links rather than associative word-to-location ones, we reversed the original location of the objects in half of the test trials. Outcomes and Results-Children with ASC were as successful as TD children using social cues to form word-to-object mappings. Surprisingly, children with ID did not fast map from referential pointing, or when objects changed location. Conclusions and Implications-Children with ID may use different processes to facilitate word learning compared to TD children and even children with ASC.

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“…The evidence from eye movement research suggested that individuals with ASD are responsive to gaze as a perceptual cue but ignore its representational meaning. Congiu et al (2016) used eye-tracking methodology to compare spontaneous gaze following in young children with ASD to that of children. The results showed that the processing of gaze cues in children with ASD was mainly driven by perceptual features, such as the position of the irides in the sclera, rather than information about social signi cance provided by gaze cues.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atypical Processing Pattern of Gaze Cues in Dynamic Situations in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Liu

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Psychological studies have generally shown that individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have specificity in the processing of social information by using static or abstract images. Yet, a recent study showed that there was no differ in their use of the added social or non-social cues in dynamic interactive situations. To establish the cause of the inconsistent results, we explored the processing pattern of gaze cues in individuals with ASD by using chase detection paradigm and eye-tracking methodologies. In this study, unlike typical controls, participants with ASD showed no detection advantage under the oriented condition. The results suggested that individuals with ASD may utilize an atypical processing pattern in dynamic interactive situations.

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Impaired representational gaze following in children with autism spectrum disorder

Cited by 22 publications

References 30 publications

Initiation and response of joint attention bids in autism spectrum disorder children depend on the visibility of the target

Initiation and response of joint attention bids in autism spectrum disorder children depend on the visibility of the target

Referent selection in children with Autism Spectrum Condition and intellectual disabilities: Do social cues affect word-to-object or word-to-location mappings?

Atypical Processing Pattern of Gaze Cues in Dynamic Situations in Autism Spectrum Disorders

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