A Comparison of Face Processing of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Typically Developing Children in Static and Dynamic Materials

Deficits in social attention is a hallmark of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), though underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine face processing of children with ASD while watching a static picture and a dynamic video on a computer screen, and to compare the results with typically developing children (TD). Participants included 21 children with ASD and 22 TD children whose ages ranged between 5 and 12. Children’s eye tracking data was gathered while watching a static picture and a dynamic video. Fixation count was the dependent variable of the study. A variable effect (static-dynamic) and a developmental effect (ASD-TD) were examined in the study. Study results showed that the fixation counts of children with ASD were higher on lower body area compared to typically developing children, whereas the fixation counts of TD children were higher on the mouth area. Findings of the study also showed that both children with ASD and TD children displayed more fixation counts in static picture compared to dynamic video. Study results were discussed and suggestions for future research were provided.