Children with autism focus their attention on different facets of films compared to children without autism, according to a study led by the University of Geneva. The variations increase significantly as children get older.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/dos
Português
pt
Estudo suíço revela que crianças com autismo veem imagens de filmes de forma diferente
“The results suggest that social attention should be considered early in clinical treatments,” wrote the Geneva researchers in the study published in the journal eLife.
The researchers from the University of Geneva analysed the attention of children using the so-called eye-tracking method, they university said in a press release on Thursday.
Some 166 children with autism and 51 without watched sequences of a cartoon, with researchers then recording where the participants focussed their eyes. The children – all boys – were between two and seven years old and were tested repeatedly over the course of their development.
In children without autism, the researchers observed a synchronisation of their gaze as age increased. More and more, the children were seen to focus their attention on the same elements of a scene.
This synchronisation was absent in the children with autism. They showed an interest in other types of stimuli: for example, certain objects or irregularities in the cartoon landscape. Over time, each child then developed their own unique visual preferences. The researchers also found that children with autism whose gaze was most similar to that of children with normal development functioned best in everyday life.
How a child views a social scene, such as in the cartoons used, can be used to predict future social difficulties, the researchers say. “This work shows that if autistic children do not show interest in social interactions from an early age, they become increasingly disinterested,” explained study leader Marie Schaer in the press release.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Politics
In Switzerland, New Year brings ‘burqa ban’ and pension hikes
Have you heard something about Swiss diplomacy that you’d like us to fact check?
Not all information circulating about Switzerland’s foreign relations is accurate or well understood. Tell us what you'd like us to fact check or clarify.
Swiss scientists discover unusual zones in Earth’s mantle
This content was published on
Using high-resolution models to study the Earth's mantle, scientists have identified zones of rocks in the lower mantle that are colder, or have a different composition, than surrounding rocks.
Egyptian diplomat’s murder: prosecutor calls for acquittal of defendant’s girlfriend
This content was published on
The Swiss attorney general has called for the girlfriend of the main defendant in the case of the assassination of an Egyptian diplomat in Geneva in 1995 to be acquitted. The woman is charged with complicity.
Low-cost e-tailers Temu and Shein put Swiss retail sector under pressure
This content was published on
Most Swiss retailers are concerned by the stiff competition from China's low-cost online platforms Temu and Shein, according to a survey.
This content was published on
More and more offices are standing empty in Switzerland's major cities. Nevertheless, new office constructions are likely to increase in the future, a study shows.
Zoos should consider culling surplus animals to regulate populations, say researchers
This content was published on
Researchers from the University of Zurich say zoos must rethink population management and allow animals to reproduce naturally - zoos should then cull surplus animals.
Swiss billionaire Martin Haefner creates foundation
This content was published on
Martin Haefner, owner of the car importer Amag and one of Switzerland's richest citizens, has set up a foundation with his wife Marianne.
Swiss army cuts uniform distribution to save millions
This content was published on
Members of the Swiss Armed Forces will only receive a distinctive grey dress uniform, the famous "Tenü A", for representational purposes in the future as a cost-cutting measure to save CHF55 million.
Swiss, Danish tourists among three dead in Australian plane crash
This content was published on
A light aircraft crashed during take-off from a tourist island in Western Australia, killing three people including Swiss and Danish tourists and injuring three others, authorities said on Wednesday.
Presidents of Ukraine and Switzerland discuss future meeting
This content was published on
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Swiss counterpart, Karin Keller-Sutter, have held talks by phone to prepare a future bilateral meeting, it was announced on Wednesday.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.