Selective visual attention at twelve months: signs of autism in early social interactions

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Social Cognition

Background:

• Early detection of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is crucial for timely intervention.
• Understanding social attention development in infancy can provide early behavioral markers.
• Differences in social attention may emerge before 12 months of age.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate social attention and attention shifting in 12-month-old infants at high familial risk for ASD.
• To compare behavioral responses during a neutral play condition versus a social distress condition.
• To identify potential early behavioral indicators of ASD related to social information processing.

Main Methods:

• Infants (n=high-risk siblings, n=controls) were observed at 12 months during a play interaction and a distress scenario.
• Visual fixations and attention shifts were coded to measure social attention and cognitive flexibility.
• Infants were screened for ASD at 36 months to determine diagnostic outcomes.

Main Results:

• No group differences in social attention or attention shifting were observed during the play condition.
• All infants showed increased social attention and attention shifting during the distress condition.
• Infants later diagnosed with ASD tended to maintain visual focus on a toy during the distress event, despite social cues.

Conclusions:

• Infants at high familial risk for ASD exhibit distinct attention patterns during social distress at 12 months.
• Difficulties in disengaging from objects to attend to social information may be an early marker for ASD.
• These findings highlight the importance of social attention in early ASD detection and intervention strategies.