Automated assessment of eye-hand coordination skill using a vertical tracing task on a gaze-sensitive human computer interaction platform for children with autism

Abstract

Children with Autism often demonstrate atypical gaze pattern and eye-hand coordination skill deficits marked by difficulties in reaching out for an object, tracing on a vertically mounted canvas, etc. Currently existing conventional methods can assess one's coordination skill during hand movement in 3D-space. But such methods can be subjective and devoid of gaze tracking. Investigation of coordination skill and gaze tracking of this target group in tasks set in 3D-space has been largely unexplored. To quantitatively assess one's eye-hand coordination skill, we have designed Virtual Reality-based Automated gaze-sensitive Tool that can help understand the linkage between their gaze and 3D performance. Results of a study with 10 pairs of age-matched children with Autism (GroupASD) and typically developing children (GroupTD) showed that GroupASD demonstrated reduced eye-hand coordination skill (increased tracing error in vertical tracing task) accompanied with reduced fixation duration on task-relevant regions and atypical gaze path than GroupTD.