Verbal Intent and Gaze Cues on Action Prediction in ASD

Exploration of Verbal Intention and Gaze Clues Characteristics in Children With Autism: Based on Eye Tracking Technology

A 2×2×3 mixed design (intent word × object type × group: TD, ASD, ID) was used. Age-matched children watched videos and judged which object a model would pick; their choices and eye movements were recorded.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Intellectual Disability; Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Detailed Description

A 2 (intent word: like, dislike) × 2 (object type: mentioned, unmentioned) × 3 (participant group: ASD, TD, ID) mixed experimental design was adopted. Children from the three age-matched groups (29 TD, 22 ASD, 24 ID) completed a video-watching task. In the video, a model was presented with two objects and uttered a sentence containing an intent word, a verb, and a noun, such as "I like to eat oranges." Based on the intent word, trials were divided into "like" and "dislike" conditions. Objects were classified as "mentioned" or "unmentioned" according to the verb and noun used. Participants were required to judge which object the model would pick while watching the video. Their choice responses and eye movements were recorded.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 80

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• China
  • Sichuan
    • Chengdu, Sichuan, China, 611731
      • School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

A total of 80 children (aged 3-10 years) were initially recruited and divided into three groups: 29 typically developing (TD) children (25 boys, 4 girls) from a kindergarten or primary school in Sichuan Province; 26 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (20 boys, 6 girls) from a local disability federation or autism rehabilitation center in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, all clinically diagnosed and assessed with the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS); and 25 children with intellectual disability (ID) (14 boys, 11 girls) from a disability federation or rehabilitation center in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, all clinically diagnosed. Based on eye-tracking data, 4 ASD participants and 1 ID participant whose total fixation duration accounted for less than 50% of the total trial time were excluded. Consequently, the final sample included 29 TD children (25 boys, 4 girls), 22 ASD children (18 boys, 4 girls), and 24 ID children (13 boys, 11 girls) for data analysis.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

- Children clinically diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Typically developing (TD) children with no developmental or neurological disorders.

Children clinically diagnosed with Intellectual Disability (ID).

Common criteria for all groups: Normal or corrected-to-normal vision, no color vision deficiencies, normal hearing, and written informed consent provided by their legal guardians.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Failure to meet the study's group-specific screening cutoffs on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ).

Failure to meet the study's group-specific screening cutoffs on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS).

Known genetic syndromes, significant hearing loss, or uncorrectable visual impairment.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

3

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Group
Typically Developing (TD) Group
Intellectual Disability（ID）Group

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Percentage of Total Fixation Duration on Objects	Percentage of Total Fixation Duration on Objects = (Total time fixating on target objects ÷ Total fixation duration across the scene) × 100%. It measures how much of overall viewing time is spent attending to predefined objects, reflecting attentional priority and object-driven cognitive engagement, normalized for individual differences.	During the full 13 seconds video presentation
The time to first fixation on an object within each defined TOI (Time of Interest)	Time to First Fixation on an Object within a TOI = time elapsed from TOI onset until the first fixation lands on that object. It measures how quickly attention is drawn to a target, reflecting salience or search efficiency. Shorter times indicate faster capture.	During the 0-2 s, 2-6 s, and 6-8 s intervals of video

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 15, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 29, 2026
• Study Completion (Actual): March 27, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 6, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 13, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): May 19, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 19, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 13, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: eye tracking; Joint Attention; Action Prediction
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Mental Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Intellectual Disability
• Other Study ID Numbers: UESTC-GazeLab-04

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No