From Eye Contact to Sitting Still: Autism and Attentiveness
Attention Development In Children With Autism
While research on autism continues to progress, studies are beginning to explore the possibility for early indicators of autism spectrum disorder. Although the relationship between autism and reduced attention is well-known, divergence in typical attention development may present itself earlier than previously expected. A study by Mayada Elsabbagh, et al. found that infants who develop autism also show early signs of atypical visual attention development as well.
To a point, much of the research on ASD has come from data on individuals after symptoms have emerged. To examine early indicators, researchers turned to the infant siblings of children with autism—through whom they can compare differences in early childhood development.
The findings of Elsabbagh and her colleagues indicate children with ASD may show differences in visual attention by at least 14 months.
Social Attention
In the examination of early attention development, studies often break down the differences between non-social attention and social attention, where non-social attention is represented by focus given to any stimulus that does not require interpersonal interaction. Social attention represents concentration on stimuli that are relevant to other people, like faces or a specific direction that other individuals are looking.
As part of the introduction to the academic study, “Social Attention: Developmental Foundation and Relevance for Autism Spectrum Disorder,” Terje Falck-Ytter, et al. begin their analysis with an examination of Hugues Merle’s painting, “Contes enfantines.” Depicted in the painting is a group of young children who are listening with intent to an older girl speaking in the center of the frame. Here, we see a display of social attention as the girl speaking has a clear focus of all the other children. This shared gaze is also toward the direction of the girl’s face, and particularly, they look at her mouth as she speaks.
Possible Early Indicators of Atypical Attention Development
As a part of the development of social attention, studies have shown that children who later receive a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder do not engage in the initiation of joint attention as often as typically developing children. For example, children with ASD generally use “showing” behaviors—like pointing—less frequently than children without autism.
When children are in their first year of life, one of the first primitive forms of communication they have is with their gaze. Where they are looking can indicate interest to nearby adults, and around 8-9 months after birth, children begin alternating their gaze between objects of interest and making eye contact with other humans. This behavior is also seen with less frequency in children who later show other signs of ASD.
Attending Skills and Stimming
In a 2010 study, A.N. Bhat et al. say, “Infrequent self-initiated socially directed gaze may be an early marker of later social and communication delays.” However, we understand that children diagnosed with autism may have different methods for attending than typically developing children. As a result of this, many individuals with autism have individual preferences that help them to focus and regulate. These preferences may be referred to as “stims” or stimming.
Stimming can present itself in many ways, and children’s preferred stimming behaviors may be unique to them. Common stimming behaviors include:
Rocking of the body
Hand flapping
Chewing objects
Repeating words
Neurotypical people often exhibit behaviors similar to stimming, commonly referred to as “fidgets,” like tapping of feet or fingers, swiveling back and forth in chairs, or even whistling. Fidgets often occur without conscious thought, but act in a similar, self-regulatory way as stimming behaviors. The difference here is that stimming may present itself more intensely or in a more repetitious way than fidgeting. However, individuals with autism often rely on stimming not only to self-regulate, but also to help direct their attention.
Social Attention and Stimming
Even though children with autism may display early signs of attention delay, this might only indicate a delay in social attention, particularly when examining studies that rely on eye tracking for attention determination. The comparisons between attention and social attention may need further exploration due to the notion that stimming behaviors might make a person appear inattentive. This notion may be misguided, however, due to the ability for some stimming behaviors to increase or direct focus. So, for those without ASD, a path to better understanding can begin with a change in the idea of what attention can look like. Presentation of attention may matter much less than the result of attention truly given.
Sources Cited:
Bhat, A.N. et al. Social and Non-social Visual Attention Patterns and Associative Learning in Infants at Risk for Autism
Braithwaite, E.K. et al. Social attention: What is it, how can we assure it, and what can it tell us about autism and ADHD
Falck-Ytter, Terje et al. Social Attention: Developmental Foundation and Relevance for Autism Spectrum Disorder