Social Visual Engagement in Preterm and Term Children With Autism: Consistent Eye-tracking Patterns Irrespective of...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Premature infants (<37 weeks gestation) face higher risks for neurodevelopmental delays and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• Distinguishing ASD symptoms from general developmental issues in preterm infants is challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To objectively assess social visual engagement in preterm and term-born toddlers using eye-tracking.
• To evaluate if early ASD symptoms differ between preterm and term-born toddlers.

Main Methods:

• 128 autistic term-born and 64 preterm-born toddlers (1-3 years) underwent eye-tracking during video viewing.
• Participants also received gold-standard behavioral diagnostic assessments for autism.

Main Results:

• Autistic preterm toddlers showed less visual focus on eyes/mouth and more on objects compared to non-autistic preterm toddlers.
• Eye-tracking metrics correlated with autism symptom severity and language skills.
• No significant differences in social visual engagement patterns were found between autistic term-born and preterm-born toddlers.

Conclusions:

• Early autism symptoms are objectively similar in preterm and term-born toddlers via eye-tracking.
• Social engagement alterations in ASD appear independent of prematurity-related developmental concerns.
• Eye-tracking offers a valuable tool for early ASD identification in preterm infants.