visual attention patterns in autism spectrum disorder

Impaired Social interaction and communication, as well as the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors and interests are known as the main symptoms of autism spectrum disorder. Infants communicate with the environment and others through the eyes. The first information containing social content is transmitted to the infant through the babychr eye contact with the eyes and face of the mother and other people. Studies have shown that this phenomenon is the background for the formation, development and evolution of neural networks and circuits related to social relationships during development of the human. Some studies have shown that there are significant differences between the eye movement patterns (saccade and fixation pattern) between people with autism and people with typical neural growth pattern. Studies of visual attention in people with autism spectrum disorder often lead to contradictory results. Some studies have found several differences in the visual attention patterns of people with autism compared to neurotypical individuals, and some studies have not found any differences between two groups. These contradictory results are due to the use of assumptions, consideration of limited properties, and limitation of the type of stimuli. In this study, an attempt has been made to investigate the visual attention patterns of people with autism through a comprehensive study by using eye tracking data analysis, as well as image processing tools and models.

In this study the eye tracking data of 28 subjects, with a mean age of 8 years (range 5-12 years) were initially processed. Then, 300 images of this study were analyzed, visually segmented, labeled and categorized Based on low level features (color, intensity and directions), higher level features (such as object size), and communication and social features, by using models such as Itti Koch Model and image processing tools such as LabelMe. Visual attention patterns among people with Autism were assessed by using statistical tests.
 

It was found that people with autism pay less attention to parts of the images that include semantic and communicative features. On the contrary, they spend more time on the parts that contain tools and equipment. They are also slower to pay attention to parts of the image that contain social features, and instead spend more time paying attention to the background parts of the image, which include repetitive patterns. In addition, they spend more time in each fixation in parts that lack semantic or social features.

These results and other results of this study show that the main signs and symptoms of autism spectrum disorder, impaired Social interaction and communication, as well as the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors and interests, can be observed in the visual attention patterns of people with autism. These patterns can pave the way for further research and studies in cognitive neuroscience. By recognizing the parts or circuits in the brain that lead to such patterns, we can get a better view of how these parts or circuits of the brain work in the brain of people with autism. These patterns can also be used to design a low cost and fast autism screening tool based on eye-tracking technology.