• Home
  • Mental Health
  • Depression
  • Meditation
  • Stress Disorders
  • Anxiety
  • Mental Illness
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Natural Element
  • Home
  • Mental Health
  • Depression
  • Meditation
  • Stress Disorders
  • Anxiety
  • Mental Illness
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Natural Element
No Result
View All Result

NIMH » Attention to Geometric Images May Offer Biomarker for Some Toddlers with Autism

March 17, 2023


February 13, 2023
• Research Highlight

Researchers are looking for measurable biological indicators, known as biomarkers, that could help identify children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) within the first few years of life—before they would typically receive a diagnosis. Establishing accurate biomarkers could inform both research and clinical practice and help improve and expand early ASD screening efforts. A study supported by the National Institute of Mental Health suggests that visual attention to dynamic geometric images may offer one such biomarker for a subset of toddlers with ASD.

The study, led by Karen Pierce, Ph.D., at the University of California, San Diego, builds on previous work by Pierce’s team showing that some toddlers with ASD have a strong visual preference for geometric images. That is, when these toddlers have the option to look at different types of images, they spend a disproportionate amount of time looking at images containing geometric shapes.

Pierce and colleagues hypothesized that this geometric preference might be robust enough to serve as a biomarker for identifying some young children with ASD. They designed a study to find out whether they could replicate their previous findings in a larger, more diverse group of young children.

Notable for its large sample size, the study included 1,863 toddlers with an average age of about 2 years. The researchers recruited families to participate through community referral and population-based screening in health care settings using an approach called Get SET Early. After completing in-depth diagnostic evaluations, the research team classified the toddlers into distinct groups:

  • Children with ASD
  • Children with some features of ASD
  • Children with global developmental delay
  • Children with language delay
  • Typically developing children

The toddlers watched a 1-minute video that contained geometric images on one side of the screen and images of children doing yoga on the other side of the screen. The researchers used eye-tracking technology to follow and measure what the toddlers looked at as they watched the video—the overall proportion of time each toddler spent looking at the geometric images served as a measure of geometric preference. Details about this approach, called the GeoPref Test, and example video clips are available on the UC San Diego Autism Center of Excellence website.

The data showed that, overall, toddlers with ASD spent relatively more time looking at geometric images, and some children with ASD fixated on the geometric images more than 90% of the time. In contrast, toddlers in the other groups—children with global developmental delay, children with learning delay, typically developing children, and typically developing children who had siblings with ASD—showed a preference for the images with children.

When the researchers examined the data from toddlers with ASD, they found that their visual preferences were associated with their clinical measures. Specifically, toddlers with ASD who strongly preferred geometric images also had higher symptom scores, lower cognitive ability scores, and lower adaptive behavior scores than toddlers with ASD who strongly preferred images showing children.

The researchers found that their simple measure of geometric preference—proportion of time spent looking at geometric images—accurately distinguished toddlers with ASD from toddlers without ASD with few false positives.

Additional data suggested that geometric preference remained stable over the 12 months following the initial eye tracking session. Using modern bioinformatics techniques, the researchers confirmed the statistical robustness of their findings.

According to Pierce and colleagues, the study shows that the geometric preference measure can serve as an objective, accurate, and reliable biomarker of an ASD subtype.

The fact that the geometric preference measure was accurate in a large, diverse, community-based sample that included toddlers with non-ASD developmental delays suggests the measure may have use in real-world clinical settings and in research. If validated in further studies, this measure may offer a low-cost, scalable tool for screening and identification that could help some toddlers with ASD receive earlier diagnosis and access to services.

Additional research examining the mechanisms, including possible genetic links, that drive preferences for geometric images can help researchers better understand variation among children with ASD.

Reference

Wen, T. H., Cheng, A., Andreason, C., Zahiri, J., Xiao, Y., Xu, R., Bao, B., Barnes, C. C., Arias, S. J., & Pierce, K. (2022). Large scale validation of an early-age eye-tracking biomarker of an autism spectrum disorder subtype. Scientific Reports, 12, Article 4253. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-08102-6

Grants

MH118879, MH080134, MH104446, MH081755



Source link

Share120Tweet75Share30

Related Posts

Succession S4 E1: Therapist Reacts! **SPOILER ALERT**
Mental Health

Succession S4 E1: Therapist Reacts! **SPOILER ALERT**

March 27, 2023

Succession S4 E1: Therapist Reacts! **SPOILER ALERT** Source link

The Narcissistic Relationship Cycle
Mental Health

The Narcissistic Relationship Cycle

March 26, 2023

The Narcissistic Relationship Cycle Source link

Succession: A Psychologist Breaks Down The Narcissism in Each Character
Mental Health

Succession: A Psychologist Breaks Down The Narcissism in Each Character

March 25, 2023

Succession: A Psychologist Breaks Down The Narcissism in Each Character Source link

5 Tips If You’re Thinking About A Career In Mental Health
Mental Health

5 Tips If You’re Thinking About A Career In Mental Health

March 25, 2023

Affiliate link notice: As an affiliate of BetterHelp and other third-party vendors, We may receive compensation if you make a purchase using the links provided on this page. For more information, visit our disclosure page.Mental health professionals play a...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Categories

  • Anxiety (532)
  • Depression (156)
  • Meditation (250)
  • Mental Health (585)
  • Mental Illness (385)
  • Sound Therapy (2)
  • Stress Disorders (275)

Popular

  • Stress Level Of Americans Is Rising Rapidly In 2022, New Study Finds

    Stress Level Of Americans Is Rising Rapidly In 2022, New Study Finds

    302 shares
    Share 121 Tweet 76
  • How Stress Affects Your Vision

    302 shares
    Share 121 Tweet 76
  • 4 signs of burnout in your teen– and how to help them through it

    302 shares
    Share 121 Tweet 76
  • Helpful Resources During Suicide Prevention Month 2022 – My Brain’s Not Broken

    302 shares
    Share 121 Tweet 76
  • The Covid Symptoms No One is Talking About, But You Need to Know, Say Experts — Eat This Not That

    301 shares
    Share 120 Tweet 75

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Copyright © 2022 Naturalele.com | All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Mental Health
  • Depression
  • Meditation
  • Stress Disorders
  • Anxiety
  • Mental Illness
  • Contact Us
What Are Cookies
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT