Gaze behavior and affect at 6 months: predicting clinical outcomes and language development in typically developing
Gregory S Young1, Noah Merin, Sally J Rogers
1MIND Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95817, USA. gregorys.young@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
Insights
Early autism markers in infants are not indicated by decreased eye contact. Instead, gaze toward the mother's mouth at 6 months may predict language development, offering new insights for infant research.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Infant Research
Background:
- Previous research suggested abnormal gaze behavior, specifically decreased eye contact, in 6-month-old infants at risk for autism.
- This study re-examines gaze behavior in infants at risk for autism using longitudinal data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the predictive utility of gaze and affective behaviors at 6 months for autism diagnosis over 18 months.
- To explore the relationship between infant face scanning, affective responsivity, and later language development.
Main Methods:
- Utilized eye-tracking and behavioral data during a mother-infant still-face interaction.
- Collected diagnostic outcome data longitudinally over 18 months.
- Employed growth curve models to analyze language development.
Main Results:
- Infants with lower eye contact at 6 months did not develop autism.
- Infants later diagnosed with autism showed typical gaze to the eye region and affective responses at 6 months.
- Increased fixation on the mother's mouth predicted higher expressive language outcomes and growth rates.
Conclusions:
- Gaze behavior at 6 months, particularly decreased eye contact, is not a reliable early marker for autism.
- Gaze towards the mother's mouth is a significant predictor of individual differences in language development.
- Face scanning patterns and affective responsivity are not directly linked to autism symptom severity in this cohort.
Abstract:
This paper presents follow-up longitudinal data to research that previously suggested the possibility of abnormal gaze behavior marked by decreased eye contact in a subgroup of 6-month-old infants at risk for autism (Merin, Young, Ozonoff & Rogers, 2007). Using eye-tracking data and behavioral data recorded during a live mother-infant interaction involving the still-face procedure, the predictive utility of gaze behavior and affective behaviors at 6 months was examined using diagnostic outcome data obtained longitudinally over the following 18 months. Results revealed that none of the infants previously identified as showing lower rates of eye contact had any signs of autism at outcome. In contrast, three infants who were diagnosed with autism demonstrated consistent gaze to the eye region and typical affective responses at 6 months. Individual differences in face scanning and affective responsivity during the live interaction were not related to any continuous measures of symptom frequency or symptom severity. In contrast, results of growth curve models for language development revealed significant relationships between face scanning and expressive language. Greater amounts of fixation to the mother's mouth during live interaction predicted higher levels of expressive language at outcome and greater rates of growth. These findings suggest that although gaze behavior at 6 months may not provide early markers for autism as initially conceived, gaze to the mouth in particular may be useful in predicting individual differences in language development.
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