Eye Tracking Technologies to Characterize and Optimize Visual Attending in Down Syndrome

Visual supports are central components of what is termed augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention within speech-language pathology. AAC refers to the methods and technology designed to supplement spoken communication for people with limited speech. "Aided" AAC is a subcategory in which an external aid stores and presents for use visual symbols such as photographs, line drawings, or alphabet letters. Aided AAC relies on vision for access. If users cannot fully attend to, understand, or process the semantic information on a visual display, they are unlikely to use that display effectively. Regrettably, little research has focused on AAC display design variables that enhance attention

This research seeks to gain a greater understanding of visual attention to AAC displays and communication partners in order to further optimize display design. Eye tracking technology will reveal attention patterns that typically go unrecorded in behavioral research, particularly in individuals with severe disabilities. Specifically, eye tracking technology permits recording of the coordinates of where the participant is looking at any given time, how long they look, and what they ignore. This study seeks to record eye gaze via eye tracking during a shared book reading activity in which the AAC display is used for communication with a partner. It will help to determine whether optimal displays, which facilitate speed to locate targets and minimize fixations to distractors, will promote attention to the partner. Ultimately, this information will contribute to improving the design of materials for children with disabilities who require AAC.

The most traditional means of structuring aided AAC displays is to present the language concepts within traditional row-column grids, which contain individual symbols/concepts placed in each grid square. The investigator's earlier work examined whether these grid-based presentations could be improved by understanding how different perceptual features of the displays influence responding (ie, whether what the display looks like influences how easily the information on it is found). Individuals with developmental disabilities and children developing typically were faster and more accurate in finding information on some displays over others, when tested using a "visual search" task (aka, a "finding game" - "find the dog"). The next study then examined the reason behind this phenomenon by using eye tracking technology to examine how visual search itself was influenced by the different displays. Results indicated that in individuals with and without disabilities, in the non-optimal display there were significantly more fixations (looks) to non-relevant distractors than on the optimal display. Given that individuals with disabilities, including Down syndrome, are prone to ready distraction, the use of a display that by its very structure promotes looks to distractors seems to be a potentially critical mistake.

The current study examines the effects of adding a communication partner on the allocation of visual attention to optimally and non-optimally designed displays. This study is a translational step of moving from more basic research towards more clinically relevant research. Of interest are two questions: (1) How is a social partner integrated into the attentional field of the individual using AAC, in general, and (2) What is the effect of the introduction of the partner/social communication task on the patterns of attention across different display conditions?

Participants who have participated in the earlier research of the PI will be contacted to see if they would like to return for this one. Participants who express interest in learning more will be sent the phone/email information, the recruitment flyer and, if they request it, the consent form. If after reading these the participants are still interested, scheduling will begin.