Vacas, JuliaAntolí, AdoraciónSánchez-Raya, AraceliPérez-Dueñas, CarolinaCuadrado, Fátima2022-10-182022-10-182021-06-04Vacas J, Antolí A, Sánchez-Raya A, Pérez-Dueñas C, Cuadrado F. Visual preference for social vs. non-social images in young children with autism spectrum disorders. An eye tracking study. PLoS One. 2021 Jun 4;16(6):e0252795http://hdl.handle.net/10668/4253Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are associated to social attention (SA) impairments. A gaze bias to non-social objects over faces has been proposed as an early marker of ASD. This bias may be related to the concomitant circumscribed interests (CI), which question the role of competing objects in this atypical visual behavior. The aim of this study was to compare visual attention patterns to social and non-social images in young children with ASD and matched typical controls (N = 36; age range 41-73 months) assessing the role of emotion in facial stimuli and the type of competing object. A paired preference task was designed pairing happy, angry, and neutral faces with two types of objects (related or not related to autism CI). Eye tracking data were collected, and three indexes were considered as dependent variables: prioritization (attentional orientation), preference, and duration (sustained attention). Results showed that both groups had similar visual pattern to faces (prioritization, more attention and longer visits to faces paired with objects non-related to their CI); however, the ASD group attended to faces significantly less than controls. Children with ASD showed an emotional bias (late orientation to angry faces and typical preference for happy faces). Finally, objects related to their CI captured attention in both groups, significantly reducing SA in children with ASD. Atypical SA is present in young children with ASD regardless the competing non-social object. Identifying strengths and difficulties in SA in this population may have substantial repercussion for early diagnosis, intervention, and ultimately prognosis.enAtribución 4.0 Internacionalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ChildrenAutism spectrum disorderSocial attentionEye trackingNiñoTrastorno del espectro autistaAtenciónTecnología de seguimiento ocularMedical Subject Headings::Persons::Persons::Age Groups::ChildMedical Subject Headings::Persons::Persons::Age Groups::Child::Child, PreschoolMedical Subject Headings::Organisms::Eukaryota::Animals::Chordata::Vertebrates::Mammals::Primates::Haplorhini::Catarrhini::Hominidae::HumansMedical Subject Headings::Check Tags::MaleMedical Subject Headings::Psychiatry and Psychology::Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms::Behavior::Social BehaviorMedical Subject Headings::Psychiatry and Psychology::Mental Disorders::Mental Disorders Diagnosed in Childhood::Child Development Disorders, Pervasive::Autistic DisorderMedical Subject Headings::Psychiatry and Psychology::Psychological Phenomena and Processes::Psychophysiology::Arousal::AttentionMedical Subject Headings::Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment::Diagnosis::Early DiagnosisMedical Subject Headings::Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment::Diagnosis::PrognosisMedical Subject Headings::Psychiatry and Psychology::Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms::Emotionsresearch article34086803open access10.1371/journal.pone.02527951932-6203PMC8177541