Heterogeneity of Visual Preferences for Biological and Repetitive Movements in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.
One in four kids with ASD prefer social motion over spinning objects, so check each child’s looking preference before picking reinforcers.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Wang et al. (2021) showed the children short videos on a screen. Half had ASD. Half were typical kids. The videos showed either people moving (biological motion) or toys spinning (repetitive motion).
An eye-tracker watched where each child looked longest. The team scored which motion type each child preferred. They also rated each child’s social and communication symptoms.
What they found
As a group, kids with ASD liked the spinning toys more than the people. Typical kids liked the people more. But 23 % of the ASD kids behaved like typical kids and preferred the people.
The kids who liked the spinning toys had more social and communication struggles. The kids who liked the people had milder symptoms.
How this fits with other research
Hsieh et al. (2014) found no looking differences when kids viewed picture symbols. That seems opposite to Wang et al. (2021). The key is motion. Static symbols don’t move. Videos do. Kids with ASD may look typical at still pictures but shift when things spin.
Ahlborn et al. (2008) first linked long, narrow eye gaze to repetitive behaviors. Wang et al. (2021) now ties motion preference to symptom severity. Together they show eye gaze tracks core ASD traits.
Miller et al. (2014) showed kids with ASD are slower on visual tasks. Wang et al. (2021) adds that speed is not the whole story. What they choose to watch also differs and varies child to child.
Why it matters
Don’t assume every child with ASD loves spinning objects. One in four may prefer social motion. Quick eye-tracking or simple preference tests can tell you which reinforcer pool to use. If a child likes biological motion, use videos of peers or animated faces in teaching. If they like repetitive motion, use spinning tops or wheels. Match the stimulus to the child, not the diagnosis.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Previous studies have repeatedly reported atypical visual preferences to repetitive movements and deficient perception of biological movements in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, limited research has investigated the heterogeneity of the visual preferences in individuals with ASD. In the current study, we explored the visual preferences to different movement types (repetitive, biological, and random) in children with ASD using a paired preferential looking paradigm. Thirty-nine children with ASD and 37 typically developing (TD) children participated in our study, with their eye movements recorded as the index of visual preferences. We examined the differences of visual preferences between the ASD and TD group, and the heterogeneity of visual preferences within the ASD group. We found group differences between children with ASD and TD children: Overall, the ASD group preferred repetitive movements while the TD group preferred biological movements. We also detected heterogeneity of visual preferences within the ASD group: Although the majority of children with ASD preferred repetitive movements as previous studies reported, 9 out of 39 children with ASD preferred biological movements similarly as their TD peers. Moreover, the visual preference patterns were correlated with autistic symptoms, especially the socio-communicative impairments. Our study provided evidence of heterogeneity of visual attention and main visual preference to repetitive movements in children with ASD. The findings add to the body of literature of the heterogeneous behavioral symptoms and the atypical visual preferences in individuals with ASD. LAY SUMMARY: The current study examined visual preferences to biological, repetitive, and random movements in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We showed a pair of two videos representing two types of movements (random, repetitive, or biological movements) to children with ASD and typically developing children. We found the main visual preferences for repetitive movements and heterogeneity of visual attention within the ASD group. Our findings provide theoretical and methodological implications for future study of the heterogeneity in the ASD population.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2021 · doi:10.1002/aur.2366