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Cited by 237Autism Spectrum Disorder ResearchFace Recognition and PerceptionChild and Animal Learning Development

Parsing Heterogeneity in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Visual Scanning of Dynamic Social Scenes in School-Aged Children

Open access
Rice, Katherine, Moriuchi, Jennifer M., Jones, Warren, Klin, Ami·2012·Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
DOI 10.1016/j.jaac.2011.12.017PMC PMC3306820
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Abstract

Objective To examine patterns of variability in social visual engagement and their relationship to standardized measures of social disability in a heterogeneous sample of school-aged children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).Method Eye-tracking measures of visual fixation during free-viewing of dynamic social scenes were obtained for 109 children with ASD (mean age, 10.2 ± 3.2 years), 37 of whom were matched with 26 typically-developing (TD) children (mean age, 9.5 ± 2.2 years) on gender, age, and IQ. The smaller subset allowed between-group comparisons, whereas the larger group was used for within-group examinations of ASD heterogeneity.Results Between-group comparisons revealed significantly attenuated orientation to socially salient aspects of the scenes, with the largest effect size (Cohen's d = 1.5) obtained for reduced fixation on faces. Within-group analyses revealed a robust association between higher fixation on the inanimate environment and greater social disability. However, the associations between fixation on the eyes and mouth and social adaptation varied greatly, even reversing, when comparing different cognitive profile subgroups.Conclusions Although patterns of social visual engagement with naturalistic social stimuli are profoundly altered in children with ASD, the social adaptivity of these behaviors varies for different groups of children. This variation likely represents different patterns of adaptation and maladaptation that should be traced longitudinally to the first years of life, before complex interactions between early predispositions and compensatory learning take place. We propose that variability in these early mechanisms of socialization may serve as proximal behavioral manifestations of genetic vulnerabilities.

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

Eye-tracking in school-age children with ASD showed altered visual engagement with dynamic social scenes, especially reduced face fixation, but the link between fixation patterns and social disability varied by cognitive profile. The authors argue this heterogeneity reflects different adaptive and maladaptive social-learning strategies rather than a single ASD visual phenotype.

Key findings

  • In matched samples (37 ASD vs. 26 TD), ASD children spent less time fixating eyes (30.9% vs. 41.1%) and mouth (17.5% vs. 24.6%), and more time on body (27.6% vs. 19.0%) and objects (24.0% vs. 15.3%); face fixation was 48.4% vs. 65.7% (Cohen’s d=1.5).
  • In the full ASD sample (N=109), higher object fixation was associated with greater social disability (r=.245, p=.014), while eyes and mouth fixation were weakly related to social disability (r=−.183, p<.1; r=−.135, p=.179).
  • Cognitive profile moderated these relationships: in the VIQ Split group (N=18), higher mouth looking predicted lower social disability (r=−.65, p=.013), whereas in the Higher Even FSIQ group (FSIQ ≥ 98), higher mouth looking predicted greater social disability (r=.473, p<.01); these correlations differed significantly (z=−3.56, p<.001).
  • FSIQ moderated the mouth-looking/social-disability relationship in even-IQ children (interaction β=.51, p=.008; model R²=17.8%), with the correlation becoming significant only at FSIQ ≥ 98 by Johnson-Neyman analysis.

Methods

  • Children viewed two 5–7 minute dynamic social films while eye-tracking measured percent fixation time on eyes, mouth, body, and object regions of interest.
  • Participants were 109 children with ASD (mean age 10.2 ± 3.2 years) and 26 TD children (mean age 9.5 ± 2.2 years); a subset of 37 ASD children was matched to TD controls on gender, age, and IQ for between-group comparisons, while the full ASD sample was used for within-group heterogeneity analyses.
  • Social disability was measured with the ADOS Calibrated Severity Score; IQ was measured with the Differential Abilities Scale–Second Edition. Analyses included t-tests, correlations, hierarchical multiple regression, and Johnson-Neyman probing of moderation.

Limitations

  • The authors state the sample is essentially non-intellectually disabled, so results do not generalize to intellectually disabled children with ASD; subgroup sizes were small, limiting power; and the IQ subgroupings are intended as suggestive, not definitive.
  • The authors also note that other variables, such as communicative competence, may moderate the fixation–social adaptation relationship, and that the association does not establish directionality.
  • Evident from the text: the design is cross-sectional and correlational, with multiple subgroup correlations, and the stimuli are paradigm-specific, so absolute fixation percentages may not be comparable across eye-tracking studies.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.jaac.2011.12.017

Cites

49 of 49 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

0 of 48 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

  • Findingown data

    How strongly eye and mouth fixation related to social adaptation differed substantially, sometimes changing direction, among cognitive profile subgroups.

    “However, the associations between fixation on the eyes and mouth and social adaptation varied greatly, even reversing, when comparing different cognitive profile subgroups.”
    • Also stated in: § Full Sample of School-age Children with ASD (N=109): Do Visual Fixation Patterns Predict Levels of Social Disability Differently in Individuals with Different Cognitive Profiles? · plain
      “Within this group, there was a significant relationship between visual fixation and ADOS severity scores (r=−.65, p=.013)—higher mouth looking predicted lower social disability, accounting for over 40% of the variance in ADOS scores (Figure 3).”
    • Also stated in: § Full Sample of School-age Children with ASD (N=109): Do Visual Fixation Patterns Predict Levels of Social Disability Differently in Individuals with Different Cognitive Profiles? · plain
      “However, eyes-looking was not predictive of disability (r=.10, p=.73).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: The regions-of-interest (eyes, mouth, body, object) meaningfully capture social versus inanimate aspects of the scenes.
  • Findingown data

    In the matched comparison, children with ASD showed significantly reduced orientation to socially salient parts of dynamic social scenes compared with typically developing children.

    “Between-group comparisons revealed significantly attenuated orientation to socially salient aspects of the scenes, with the largest effect size (Cohen’s d=1.5) obtained for reduced fixation on faces.”
    • Also stated in: § Matched ASD (N=37) and TD (N=26) samples: Visual Fixation Time on Regions-of-Interest (ROI) · plain
      “The ASD group and TD group, matched on age and IQ, had significantly different visual fixation times on all ROIs (eyes, mouth, body and object) (Figure 2).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: The regions-of-interest (eyes, mouth, body, object) meaningfully capture social versus inanimate aspects of the scenes.
  • Findingown data

    In the full ASD sample, greater fixation on the inanimate environment was associated with greater social disability.

    “Within-group analyses revealed a robust association between higher fixation on the inanimate environment and greater social disability.”
    • Also stated in: § Full Sample of School-age Children with ASD (N=109): Patterns of Visual Fixation Time as Predictors of Social Disability · plain
      “In this larger and more heterogeneous sample of ASD school-age children, the association between higher object fixation and higher social disability was significant (r=.245; p=.014), although the effect size was small.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: The regions-of-interest (eyes, mouth, body, object) meaningfully capture social versus inanimate aspects of the scenes.
  • Findingown data

    The ASD group focused more on the body region than the TD group.

    “and more on the body [27.6% (7.3) vs. 19.0% (4.4), respectively, t61= 5.37, p<.001]”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: The regions-of-interest (eyes, mouth, body, object) meaningfully capture social versus inanimate aspects of the scenes.
  • Findingown data

    The correlation between mouth-looking and social disability in the VIQ Split group significantly differed from that in the Higher Even FSIQ group (z=-3.56, p<.001).

    “These two correlations were significantly different from each other (z=−3.56, p<.001).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims. 24
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 17

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    The 72 ASD children not in the matched subset were similar to the 37 matched ASD children in gender, age, and social disability.

    “The 72 children removed were comparable to the 37 used in the matched comparison in regards to gender ratio (Male/Female, 53/19 and 30/7, respectively) and chronological age (years, mean (sd), 10.02 (2.33) and 10.22 (3.53), respectively). Using the ADOS-derived severity score to assess autistic symptomatology, the two groups also had comparable levels of social disability (6.75 (2.48) and 7.45 (2.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    The 30 children with an NVIQ advantage of at least 12 points did not differ significantly from the VIQ Split group in FSIQ or in eye, mouth, or object fixation percentages.

    “While this group did not significantly differ from the VIQ Split group on FSIQ or on the percentage of fixation time spent on the eyes, mouth or objects”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: The regions-of-interest (eyes, mouth, body, object) meaningfully capture social versus inanimate aspects of the scenes.

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    The 72 excluded ASD children scored significantly lower than the matched subset on full-scale, verbal, and nonverbal IQ.

    “In regards to IQ scores, Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) was significantly lower for the N=72 excluded ASD children relative to the ASD subset (88.71 (19.85) and 112.03 (15.23), respectively, p<.001), as was Verbal IQ (VIQ) (88.54 (19.69) and 111.35 (16.30), respectively, p<.001), and Nonverbal IQ (NVIQ) (92.31 (19.44) and 111.35 (14.51), respectively, p<.001).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Blink rates and off-screen fixations differed significantly across the three groups.

    “for blinks, 26.06 (23.77), 48.24 (38.36), 38.54 (27.01), respectively, F2,132=7.44, p<.001; and for off-screen fixations, 45.47 (40.17), 19.24 (24.97), 8.44 (13.74), respectively, F2,132=15.56, p<.001”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    In the full ASD sample, more object looking was significantly linked to greater social disability, but the effect was small.

    “In this larger and more heterogeneous sample of ASD school-age children, the association between higher object fixation and higher social disability was significant (r=.245; p=.014), although the effect size was small.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: The regions-of-interest (eyes, mouth, body, object) meaningfully capture social versus inanimate aspects of the scenes.

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Among the 18 children with a VIQ advantage of at least 12 points, more mouth looking predicted less social disability and explained over 40% of ADOS score variance.

    “Within this group, there was a significant relationship between visual fixation and ADOS severity scores (r=−.65, p=.013)—higher mouth looking predicted lower social disability, accounting for over 40% of the variance in ADOS scores (Figure 3).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: The regions-of-interest (eyes, mouth, body, object) meaningfully capture social versus inanimate aspects of the scenes.

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    The 109 ASD children spanned a broad range of ages, IQ scores, and autism severity.

    “The full sample of N=109 ASD school-age children covered a relatively wide distribution in age (± 1SD, ~ 7 to 13 years), IQ (± 1SD, FSIQ of ~ 75 to 118), and severity of autism 32 (± 1SD, ADOS Severity Score of ~ 4.5 to 9.5).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Compared with TD children, those with ASD spent less fixation time on eyes and mouth and more on body and object regions.

    “Children with ASD focused less on eyes and mouth regions and more on body and object regions.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    In the full ASD group, neither lower eyes nor lower mouth percent fixation was significantly associated with higher levels of social disability.

    “neither lower eyes nor lower mouth percent fixation was significantly associated with higher levels of social disability in the full ASD group”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Despite comparable overall percent fixation on mouth regions, higher mouth fixation predicted higher social disability in Higher Even FSIQ children and lower social disability in VIQ split children.

    “despite comparable levels of percent fixation on the mouth regions overall, higher mouth fixation predicted higher social disability in the children with higher FSIQ and an even IQ profile and lower social disability in the children with the VIQ split.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    The Higher Even FSIQ group had stronger relationships between less eyes-looking and greater social disability compared to Lower Even FSIQ, though differences were not significant.

    “This Higher Even FSIQ group also had stronger relationships between less eyes-looking and greater social disability compared to children with Lower Even FSIQ, though these differences were not significant.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Static-face eye-tracking studies usually reported reduced looking at the eyes, while mouth looking was more variable.

    “Typically, results indicated less fixation time on the eyes region of the face 10-13, with more variation in fixation on the mouth region; some studies found increased fixation on the mouth region of the face 12 whereas others found no differences in this regard 10,11.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 4 sources checked
    • cites [10] Pelphrey, 2002, Visual scanning of faces in autism, J Autism Dev Disord source

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites [11] Dalton, 2005, Gaze fixation and the neural circuitry of face processing in autism, Nat Neurosci source

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites [12] Spezio, 2007, Abnormal use of facial information in high-functioning autism, J Autism Dev Disord source

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites [13] Spezio, 2007, Analysis of face gaze in autism using “bubbles”, Neuropsychologia source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    Only a small fraction of ASD cases are explained by unique identified mutations.

    “Genotypic heterogeneity has proved equally baffling, with unique identified mutations accounting for only a small number of cases 4-5.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [4] Abrahams, 2008, Advances in autism genetics: on the threshold of a new neurobiology, Nat Rev Genet source

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites [5] Weiss, 2008, Association between microdeletion and microduplication at 16p11.2 and autism, N Engl J Med source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

    Premisecitation

    Developmental cognitive science could serve as a link between molecular pathobiology and clinical behavior.

    “It is in this context that developmental cognitive science may provide the necessary bridge between molecular pathobiology and clinical behavior 6-7.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [6] Landis, 2008, The “neuro” in neurogenetics, Science source

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites [7] Meyer-Lindenberg, 2006, Intermediate phenotypes and genetic mechanisms of psychiatric disorders, Nat Rev Neurosci source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    In the adult study, more mouth looking strongly predicted less social disability and greater social ability.

    “Instead, increased fixation on the mouth region was a strong predictor of lower levels of social disability and higher levels of social ability.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [18] Klin, 2002, Visual fixation patterns during viewing of naturalistic social situations as predictors of social competence in individuals with autism, Arch Gen Psychiatry source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    A previous adult study found that autistic adults looked at eyes about half as much and at mouths about twice as much as controls.

    “Adults with autism focused two times less on the eyes region of faces while focusing two times more on the mouth relative to controls.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [18] Klin, 2002, Visual fixation patterns during viewing of naturalistic social situations as predictors of social competence in individuals with autism, Arch Gen Psychiatry source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    In structured viewing tasks, people with autism may rely less on eye information and sometimes more on mouth information.

    “In general, however, this literature is consistent with Langdell’s 14 original hypothesis: individuals with autism show attenuated reliance on information from the eyes region of the face and, at least in some situations, over-reliance on information from the mouth region of the face when performing structured viewing tasks (e.g., recognition of face identity or emotional expressions).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [14] Langdell, 1978, Recognition of faces: an approach to the study of autism, J Child Psychol Psychiatry source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    This IQ split profile might be associated with particular genetic loci and neurophysiological features in ASD.

    “The profile may be linked to specific genetic loci 26 and neurophysiological differences 27 in ASD.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [26] Chapman, 2011, Genome-scan for IQ discrepancy in autism: evidence for loci on chromosomes 10 and 16, Hum Genet source

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites [27] Tager-Flusberg, 2003, Identifying neurocognitive phenotypes in autism, Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductown data

    The VIQ Split group and Higher Even FSIQ group were matched on VIQ (t47=1.25, p=.22) and level of social disability (t47=-.527, p=.57).

    “These two groups were matched on both VIQ (t47=1.25, p=.22) and level of social disability (t47=−.527, p=.57).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductreasoning

    Personnel blind to diagnosis ran all experimental protocol steps, and most data acquisition plus all coding, processing, and summarization were automated.

    “All aspects of the experimental protocol were performed by personnel blind to diagnostic status of child. Most aspects of data acquisition and all aspects of coding, processing, and data summary were automated to ensure separation between the diagnostic characterization protocol and the experimental protocol.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductown data

    The analyzed fixation data, which were valid, were similar across groups.

    “For this study, however, the focus is on valid, analyzed fixation data, which were comparable across all groups.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Interpretationown data

    Despite a wide FSIQ range, the full ASD sample remained relatively high-functioning overall.

    “While there was a wide range in FSIQ (42-149), the overall level of cognitive functioning of the full ASD sample was still relatively high.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductcitation

    When ADOS and ADI-R disagreed, the clinician best-estimate diagnosis was treated as the gold standard and given priority.

    “In the rare case of disagreement between ADOS and ADI-R criteria, as a widely accepted gold standard, the clinician-assigned, best estimate diagnosis took priority 34,35.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [34] Chawarska, 2007, Autism spectrum disorder in the second year: stability and change in syndrome expression, J Child Psychol Psychiatry source

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites [35] Lord, 2005, Diagnostic instruments in autistic spectrum disorders

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Study design and conductown data

    A 37-child ASD subset was matched to the 26 TD children on gender, age, and IQ measures.

    “A subset (N=37) of the entire ASD sample was matched to the TD group on gender ratio, chronological age, FSIQ, VIQ, and NVIQ.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductcitation

    Every child passed a gaze-shift control task, saccading to a target within 500 ms and holding stable fixation with drift under 5°/sec for at least 1 second.

    “All children passed by saccading to a target within 500 milliseconds and maintaining stable foveation with less than 5°/sec of drift for at least 1 second 37.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [37] Leigh, 1999

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    The reduced mouth looking in ASD was unsurprising because earlier work used face close-ups, while these stimuli showed whole people.

    “This is not unexpected: the past studies used mostly close-ups on faces, whereas the current stimuli portrayed whole individuals.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: The dynamic social scenes used in the eye-tracking task approximate children's everyday social experiences.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Study design and conductreasoning

    Because multiple ADOS modules were used, the ADOS Calibrated Severity Score was chosen as a module-standardized measure.

    “Given the wide range of ADOS modules used in this large sample (Modules 2, 3, and 4), we used the ADOS Calibrated Severity Score 32 (higher scores denote more severe autistic symptomatology), a measure standardized across modules.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [32] Gotham, 2009, Standardizing ADOS scores for a measure of severity in autism spectrum disorders, J Autism Dev Disord source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductnone given

    The eye-tracker's stated accuracy was ±0.3° across a ±20° horizontal and vertical range.

    “The system was mounted unobstrusively on the bill of a baseball cap and utilized a target-tracking method that enables highly accurate eye-tracking without having to restrain the participant’s head (accuracy within ± 0.3° over a ± 20° horizontal and vertical range).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationnone given

    Without dynamic stimuli and accompanying audio, the mouth-language pairing present in naturalistic social interaction would be absent.

    “Without dynamic stimuli and the accompanying audio, the mouth-language pairing present in naturalistic social interaction would be absent.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationown data

    The ASD sample is essentially non-intellectually disabled, so results do not generalize to intellectually disabled children with ASD.

    “this is essentially a non-intellectually disabled sample of children with ASD. Thus, our results do not generalize to the population of intellectually disabled children with ASD.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationown data

    For Higher Even FSIQ children, mouth looking appeared detrimental to social adaptation, whereas for VIQ split children it appeared beneficial.

    “in Higher Even FSIQ children mouth looking was associated with a detriment in social adaptation; in VIQ split children mouth looking was associated with an enhancement in social adaptation.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationreasoning

    For some children, an attempt to normalize their social behavior may not contribute to increased social adaptation.

    “for some children at least, an attempt to normalize their social behavior may not contribute to increased social adaptation.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Interpretationreasoning

    The association between IQ profiles and visual engagement does not necessarily imply directionality.

    “this association does not necessarily imply directionality.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    So much learning is accomplished through shared experiences with others, and communication is by definition a social adaptive function.

    “so much learning is accomplished through shared experiences with others and that communication is by definition a social adaptive function 19.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [19] Klin, 2003, The enactive mind—from actions to cognition: lessons from autism, Phil Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductnone given

    The evaluation of differences between correlation coefficients was based on sample size and strength of association, values independent of the significance threshold.

    “our evaluation of the difference between these coefficients was based on sample size and strength of association, values which are independent of our significance threshold.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing).

    Interpretationcitation

    The search for successful endophenotypic constructs is more likely to succeed through studies of infants and a focus on evolutionarily highly conserved and developmentally early emerging social adaptive skills.

    “The search for successful endophenotypic constructs is more likely to succeed through studies of infants and a focus on evolutionarily highly conserved and developmentally early emerging social adaptive skills 20.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [20] Klin, 2009, Two-year-olds with autism fail to orient towards human biological motion but attend instead to non-social, physical contingencies, Nature source

      Not checked in the free run.

36 of 36

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The dynamic social scenes used in the eye-tracking task approximate children's everyday social experiences.

    “These were intended to reflect everyday experiences of this age group”
    “targeting a defining symptom of the condition within an experimental setup that approximates their everyday social experiences”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The regions-of-interest (eyes, mouth, body, object) meaningfully capture social versus inanimate aspects of the scenes.

    “Eye movements identified as fixations were coded relative to four regions-of-interest (ROIs) that were defined within all video stimuli: eyes, mouth, body (neck, shoulders, and contours around eyes and mouth such as hair), and object (surrounding inanimate stimuli) (Figure 1b).”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Prior research on school-age ASD children has identified cognitive profiles as helpful for parsing heterogeneity.

    “Past studies of school-age children with ASD have highlighted profiles of cognitive functioning as useful in parsing heterogeneity in the disorder.”
3 of 3

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Patients with ASD have altered gaze patterns and reduced attention to social imagery.

    “Patients with ASD have been shown to have altered gaze patterns and reduced attention to social imagery45–47.”

    From Effect of age and autism spectrum disorder on oxytocin receptor density in the human basal forebrain and midbrain (2018) · cites this paper as [47]

  • Infants, toddlers, and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder show disrupted eye movement patterns to faces or social scenes, including avoidance of the eye region, atypical fixation on nonsocial aspects, and lack of attentional bias toward faces.

    “It has been shown that infants, toddlers and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) all show disrupted patterns of eye movements in response to images/videos of human faces or naturalistic social scenes, including avoidance of the eye region of faces, atypical fixation targets to the nonsocial aspects of social scenes and a lack of attentional bias toward faces, as measured by faster sacc”

    From Comparative Perspectives on Oxytocin and Vasopressin Receptor Research in Rodents and Primates: Translational Implications (2016) · cites this paper as [61]

  • In humans, the majority of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders show disruption in the use of eyes and eye contact during social interactions.

    “In humans, the majority of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders show disruption in the use of eyes and eye contact during social interactions [38-42].”

    From Neurons in the Monkey Amygdala Detect Eye Contact during Naturalistic Social Interactions (2014) · cites this paper as [39]

Statistics recomputed

Every reported test result, recomputed from its test statistic and degrees of freedom. A result shows as not adding up only once an independent check has confirmed it.

  • Consistentz = -2.15reported p = .031 · recomputed p = .032

    “(z=−2.15, p = .031”

  • Consistentz = -3.56reported p < .001 · recomputed p < .001

    “(z=−3.56, p < .001”

2 of 2

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • Discussion reverses the higher-IQ group's mouth-looking association

    Major

    The discussion says higher mouth fixation was associated with lower social disability in the Higher Even FSIQ group. The results report the opposite: higher mouth-looking was significantly associated with greater social disability in that group.

  • Full ASD sample's age summary conflicts with subgroup ages

    Minor

    The stated 72- and 37-child subgroup age means yield a mean of about 10.09 years for all 109 children, which rounds to 10.1 rather than the abstract's 10.2. Their reported standard deviations also imply a combined standard deviation of about 2.8 years, not 3.2.

2 of 2

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Related

Authors
Rice, K., Moriuchi, J. M., Jones, W., & Klin, A.
Affiliations
Emory University (US)
Corresponding author
Klin, Ami
ORCID
Klin, Ami
Venue
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2012-03
Volume
51
Issue
3
Pages
238-248
ISSN
0890-8567 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.jaac.2011.12.017
PMC
PMC3306820
OpenAlex
W2082605724
Cited by
237
References
50
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 44 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 19 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 5
FWCI
10.80
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation (0532610)
  • Emory University
  • Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
  • National Institutes of Health (5r01hd042127-04)
  • School of Medicine, Emory University
  • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01 HD042127, R01HD42127)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, eye tracking, social dysfunction, social adaptation, within-group variation, school-aged children, genetic susceptibility
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Child, Child Development Disorders, Pervasive, Eye Movements, Female, Fixation, Ocular, Humans, Male, Motion Pictures, Neuropsychological Tests, Personality Development, Photic Stimulation, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Social Adjustment, Visual Perception

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Claims read by deepseek-v4.1-flash under definition version 3 (extract-v3) on 2026-10-08.

Classified by jev-1.13-20260917 (gold-guideline-v0.2) on 2026-10-08.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

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