Updating Expectations About Unexpected Object Motion in Infants Later Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

In typical development, infants form predictions about future events based on incoming sensory information, which is essential for perception and goal-directed action. It has been suggested that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) make predictions differently compared to neurotypical individuals. We investigated how infants who later received an ASD diagnosis and neurotypical infants react to temporarily occluded moving objects that violate initial expectations about object motion. Our results indicate that infants regardless of clinical outcome react similarly to unexpected object motion patterns, both in terms of gaze shift latencies and pupillary responses. These findings indicate that the ability to update representations about such regularities in light of new information may not differ between typically developing infants and those with later ASD.

How 18-month-olds with Later Autism Look at Other Children Interacting: The Timing of Gaze Allocation

“…This might explain the findings in this study, but more studies are needed in order to discern the ability of toddlers with later autism to predict and understand others' actions based on social gestures and non-verbal communication. It is notable that children with autism do not generally experience challenges predicting physical events or the goal of simple actions with their gaze (von Hofsten et al, 2009;Achermann et al, 2021;Falck-Ytter, 2010; see also ability to understand the intention of others, or to decode the gestures used in the videos.…”