Social Attention in ASD and TD Children

NCT07583615 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: UESTC-GazeLab-02
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 66
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

To examine whether the spatiotemporal organization of gaze strategies differs between children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) children during a staged joint attention interaction, and to identify at which phase differences emerge.

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); Joint Attention Impairment

Keywords

Autism spectrum disorder; Joint attention; Eye tracking

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (6)

• Percentage of Total Fixation Duration on Human Faces during Entire Video

  Percentage of total fixation duration on human faces was calculated as (total fixation duration on all face areas of interest / total fixation duration on the entire video) × 100. Fixation was defined as gaze maintained within a 1° visual angle for a minimum of 100 ms. This measure was compared between the ASD and TD groups.

  During the full 27-second video presentation

• Total Fixation Duration on Human Faces during Entire Video

  Total fixation duration (in milliseconds) on human faces, calculated as the sum of all fixation durations that fell within face areas of interest (AOIs). This measure was compared between the ASD and TD groups.

  During the full 27-second video presentation

• Percentage of Total Fixation Duration on Human Faces During Phase 4 (Emotional Feedback) by Condition

  Percentage of fixation duration on faces was calculated for the emotional feedback phase separately for Preference-congruent and Preference-incongruent trials. The interaction between Group (ASD vs. TD) and Condition (Congruent vs. Incongruent) was examined. Higher percentages indicate greater allocation of visual attention to faces during emotional feedback.

  During seconds 22-27 of the video

• Total Scanpath Length During Entire Video

  During the full 27-second video presentation

• Number of Gaze Shifts Between Face and Object Areas of Interest

  The number of saccadic gaze shifts that cross between pre-defined face and object areas of interest (AOIs) was counted. This was taken as an index of attentional switching between social and non-social information.

  During the full 27-second video presentation

• Mean Distance of Fixation Points from the Center of the Face Area of Interest

  For each fixation, the Euclidean distance (in degrees of visual angle) from its location to the centroid of the pre-defined face AOI was calculated. The mean of these distances across all fixations was then computed. Larger values indicate that gaze tended to fall farther from the faces, reflecting less attention to facial information.

  During the full 27-second video presentation

Study Arms (2)

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Group

Typically Developing (TD) Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 3 Years - 11 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) peers. ASD participants were recruited from a institution in Chengdu, China; TD participants were recruited from a local kindergarten. The sample covers an age range of approximately 2 to 10 years and includes both males and females， all of whom completed an eye-tracking free-viewing task of social interaction videos.

You may qualify if:

• \- For ASD group: confirmed clinical diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. For TD group: Typically developing children without any developmental or neurological disorders.
• Both groups: Normal or corrected-to-normal vision, no color vision deficiencies, and legal guardian provided written informed consent.

You may not qualify if:

• \- Failure to meet the study's group-specific screening cutoffs on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) Known genetic syndromes, significant hearing loss, or uncorrectable visual impairment

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Electronic Science and Technology of China: lead

Study Sites (1)

School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Chengdu, Sichuan, 611731, China

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 6, 2026
• First Posted: May 13, 2026
• Study Start: July 22, 2024
• Primary Completion: March 27, 2026
• Study Completion: March 27, 2026
• Last Updated: May 13, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-05

Locations

CN (1)