Identifying prognostic markers in autism spectrum disorder using eye tracking.
Elizabeth C Bacon, Adrienne Moore, Quimby Lee and 3 others
PMID 31647314WHAT IT FOUND
Toddlers with autism who looked longer at geometric shapes than social scenes showed more severe autism symptoms and fewer gaze shifts in social interactions six to nine years later.
This eye-tracking preference predicted core symptom severity but not IQ or adaptive skills.
Key findings
01Higher geometric preference in toddlers correlated with more severe autism symptoms on the ADOS at school age.
02Higher geometric preference in toddlers correlated with fewer gaze shifts during a joint attention task at school age.
03The eye-tracking test did not predict later cognitive ability (IQ) or adaptive behavior scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Small sample size (49 children), with fewer analyzed for specific tasks (e.g., 36 for test-retest). The study is exploratory and observational, not a randomized trial. Attrition bias: Families who returned for follow-up may differ from those who did not. The GeoPref test did not predict cognitive or adaptive outcomes, limiting its scope as a general prognostic tool. Retrospective parent report was used to estimate therapy hours, which may be inaccurate.
Declared interests
Karen Pierce, an author, receives royalties from the GeoPref Test, which is licensed by the University of California, San Diego. The funding agency had no role in the manuscript's conception or writing.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the eye-tracking results as a predictor of IQ or adaptive functioning. The study found no correlation between the toddler GeoPref scores and later WISC-V (IQ) or Vineland-II (adaptive behavior) scores, meaning this test informs prognosis for core social symptoms only.