The top image shows a social scene while the lower image is geometric.

Using eye-tracking methods, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have shown that toddlers with autism spend significantly more time visually examining dynamic geometric patterns than they do looking at social images — a viewing pattern not found in either typical or developmentally delayed toddlers. The results of the study suggest that a preference for geometric patterns early in life may be a signature behavior in infants who are at risk for autism. This preference was found in infants at-risk for autism as young as 14 months of age.

“In testing 110 toddlers ages 14 to 42 months, we found that all of the toddlers who spent more than 69 percent of their time fixing their gaze on geometric images could be accurately classified as having an autism spectrum disorder or ASD,” said Karen Pierce, an assistant professor in the UC San Diego Department of Neurosciences and assistant director of the UC San Diego Autism Center of Excellence. The study is published in the Sept. 6 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Out of 51 typical infants in this study, only one preferred to look at the geometric images. However, not all autistic toddlers preferred the geometric shapes. In the UC San Diego study, 40 percent of the ASD toddlers had this preference, compared with just 2 percent of the typical and 9 percent of the developmentally delayed toddlers.  Thus, while 40 percent of the ASD toddlers were “geometric responders,” the remaining 60 percent were similar to the typical and developmentally delayed groups in preferring dynamic social images.

“What an infant prefers to look at when given a choice between two images may turn out to be a more clearly observable indicator of autism risk than how he or she looks at a single image,” Pierce said. “Among toddlers who strongly prefer geometric patterns, we found that almost 100 percent of the time, those children developed an autism spectrum disorder.”

A preference for geometric patterns alone may be an intriguing novel identifier of early autism, but the research results also illustrated a distinct pattern of saccades — rapid, directed eye movements — among the geometric responders.

“We initially predicted that ASD toddlers overall would show a reduced number of saccades,” Pierce explained  However, results revealed that it was only the geometric responders, not the group as a whole, who displayed a reduced number of saccades; and this pattern was only evident when they were viewing their preferred geometric patterns. “It was almost as if they got ‘stuck’ and didn’t move their eyes as much as typical toddlers when viewing geometric patterns. The geometric patterns were apparently very absorbing to them.”

The researchers concluded that a preference for moving geometric patterns, combined with how long toddlers stare when looking at moving geometric images, might be an early identifier of autism.

“If your baby occasionally enjoys looking at the screen saver on your computer, it is no cause for alarm,” said Pierce. “But if your baby looks at such moving geometric patterns for long periods of time, but not at fun, social images, you might want to check for other early warning signs of autism.”

Such warning signs include reduced enjoyment during back-and-forth games like peek-a-boo; the presence of an unusual tone of voice; a lack of pointing at or bringing objects to show; and a failure to respond when his/her name is called. 

“If your baby shows multiple such ‘red-flags,’ then speak to your pediatrician about a developmental evaluation,” Pierce advised 

Additional contributors to the study include D. Conant and J. Desmond, UC San Diego Autism Center of Excellence; and R. Stoner, UC San Diego Department of Neurosciences and the Autism Center of Excellence. The research was supported by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health.