The Impairment Attention Capture by Topological Change in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
10.16476/j.pibb.2024.0160
- VernacularTitle:自闭症谱系障碍儿童拓扑变化捕获注意的缺陷
- Author:
Hui-Lin XU
1
;
Huan-Jun XI
2
;
Tao DUAN
1
;
Jing LI
1
;
Dan-Dan LI
1
;
Kai WANG
1
;
Chun-Yan ZHU
1
Author Information
1. School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei230032, China
2. Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei230088, China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
attention;
autism spectrum disorder;
perceptual object;
topological perception
- From:
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics
2025;52(1):223-232
- CountryChina
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
ObjectiveAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulties with communication and social interaction, restricted and repetitive behaviors. Previous studies have indicated that individuals with ASD exhibit early and lifelong attention deficits, which are closely related to the core symptoms of ASD. Basic visual attention processes may provide a critical foundation for their social communication and interaction abilities. Therefore, this study explores the behavior of children with ASD in capturing attention to changes in topological properties. MethodsOur study recruited twenty-seven ASD children diagnosed by professional clinicians according to DSM-5 and twenty-eight typically developing (TD) age-matched controls. In an attention capture task, we recorded the saccadic behaviors of children with ASD and TD in response to topological change (TC) and non-topological change (nTC) stimuli. Saccadic reaction time (SRT), visual search time (VS), and first fixation dwell time (FFDT) were used as indicators of attentional bias. Pearson correlation tests between the clinical assessment scales and attentional bias were conducted. ResultsThis study found that TD children had significantly faster SRT (P<0.05) and VS (P<0.05) for the TC stimuli compared to the nTC stimuli, while the children with ASD did not exhibit significant differences in either measure (P>0.05). Additionally, ASD children demonstrated significantly less attention towards the TC targets (measured by FFDT), in comparison to TD children (P<0.05). Furthermore, ASD children exhibited a significant negative linear correlation between their attentional bias (measured by VS) and their scores on the compulsive subscale (P<0.05). ConclusionThe results suggest that children with ASD have difficulty shifting their attention to objects with topological changes during change detection. This atypical attention may affect the child’s cognitive and behavioral development, thereby impacting their social communication and interaction. In sum, our findings indicate that difficulties in attentional capture by TC may be a key feature of ASD.
