Ozdemir Selda, Akin-Bulbul Isik, Yildiz Erol
Department of Special Education, Education Faculty, Hacettepe University, Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey.
Department of Special Education, Gazi Education Faculty, Gazi University, Teknikokullar, Ankara, Turkey.
J Autism Dev Disord. 2025 Feb;55(2):408-427. doi: 10.1007/s10803-023-06224-y. Epub 2024 Feb 12.
Impairments in joint attention are considered core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and are crucial for early assessment and intervention. However, existing information about visual attention during joint attention and its relation to developmental functioning is limited. The current study investigated the visual attention differences between toddlers with ASD and typically developing (TD) toddlers during single and multiple joint attention cue conditions. This study further examined whether visual attention in joint attention Area of Interests (AOIs) is related to cognitive, language, and motor development in participants. Participants included 56 toddlers with ASD and 56 TD toddlers, aged 18-36 months. A passive viewing paradigm was used to assess participants' visual attention across four different joint attention conditions. Study results showed that toddlers with ASD displayed limited visual attention towards joint attention AOIs, Target, Face, and Target and Face AOIs, in all conditions. As the joint attention cues increased from Condition 1 to Condition 4, toddlers with ASD showed increased visual attention directed towards the Target AOI over the Face AOI. Moreover, increased visual attention on the joint attention AOIs was associated with improved cognitive and language development in toddlers with ASD. This research broadens our understanding of the positive relationships between visual attention to joint attention AOIs and cognitive as well as language development in toddlers with ASD, suggesting that early interventions targeting joint attention may offer promising pathways for treatment.
共同注意障碍被认为是自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的核心症状，对早期评估和干预至关重要。然而，关于共同注意期间视觉注意及其与发育功能的关系，现有信息有限。本研究调查了患有ASD的幼儿与发育正常（TD）的幼儿在单一和多重共同注意提示条件下的视觉注意差异。本研究进一步检验了共同注意兴趣区域（AOIs）中的视觉注意是否与参与者的认知、语言和运动发育相关。参与者包括56名年龄在18至36个月之间的患有ASD的幼儿和56名TD幼儿。采用被动观看范式评估参与者在四种不同共同注意条件下的视觉注意。研究结果表明，在所有条件下，患有ASD的幼儿对共同注意AOIs、目标、面部以及目标和面部AOIs的视觉注意都有限。随着共同注意提示从条件1增加到条件4，患有ASD的幼儿对目标AOI的视觉注意比对面部AOI的视觉注意增加。此外，对共同注意AOIs的视觉注意增加与患有ASD的幼儿认知和语言发育的改善相关。这项研究拓宽了我们对患有ASD的幼儿对共同注意AOIs的视觉注意与认知及语言发育之间积极关系的理解，表明针对共同注意的早期干预可能提供有前景的治疗途径。
