Background

An objective screening tool for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), also known as an eye-tracking tool, assesses the patient’s abnormal gaze patterns and detects the risk of ASD. As this tool is generally used for children born at term, this study aimed to clarify the appropriate timing for using the tool for preterm children, factors that influence the timing, and evaluate their gaze characteristics using the Gazefinder®.

Method

In 90 preterm children, a total of 125 eye-tracking tasks were completed and analyzed in 3–6, 7–9, 10–12, 13–18, and 19–32 months of corrected age (CA). The Gazefinder® was used to compare the mean fixation time percentage (MFP) in each CA and evaluate the gaze patterns. Perinatal factors associated with low MFP were also analyzed.

Results

Only 50% of the children scored ≥70% MFP at 3–6 months of CA. The MFP increased significantly after 7 months of CA (p = 0.0003), reached 90% at 13–18 months, and 100% at 19–32 months of CA. Chronic lung disease (CLD) was a clinical factor associated with low MFP (p = 0.036). Preterm children gazed more at eyes but gazed at mouths when the mouth moved.

Conclusion

It is necessary for preterm children to begin using Gazefinder® atleast at ≥13 months of age, especially those complicated with CLD. Preterm children prefer gazing at social information just as typically developing children.

中文翻译：

---

早产儿的凝视特征：眼球追踪工具的适当时机

背景

自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 的客观筛查工具，也称为眼球追踪工具，可评估患者的异常注视模式并检测 ASD 风险。由于该工具通常用于足月出生的儿童，因此本研究旨在明确早产儿使用该工具的适当时机、影响时机的因素，并使用 Gazefinder® 评估他们的注视特征。

方法

在 90 名早产儿中，在校正年龄 (CA) 的 3-6、7-9、10-12、13-18 和 19-32 个月内完成并分析了总共 125 项眼动追踪任务。Gazefinder® 用于比较每个 CA 的平均注视时间百分比 (MFP) 并评估注视模式。还分析了与低 MFP 相关的围产期因素。

结果

只有 50% 的儿童在 CA 3-6 个月时得分≥70% MFP。CA 7 个月后 MFP 显着增加 ( p  = 0.0003)，CA 13-18 个月时达到 90%，CA 19-32 个月时达到 100%。慢性肺病 (CLD) 是与低 MFP 相关的临床因素 ( p  = 0.036)。早产儿更多地注视眼睛，但当嘴巴移动时，他们会注视嘴巴。

结论

早产儿有必要至少在≥13个月大时开始使用Gazefinder®，尤其是患有慢性肺病的早产儿。早产儿和正常发育中的孩子一样喜欢关注社交信息。