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Updated: May 14, 2026

Eye Tracking Young Children with Autism
09:03

Eye Tracking Young Children with Autism

Published on: March 27, 2012

Disengagement of visual attention in infancy is associated with emerging autism in toddlerhood

Mayada Elsabbagh1, Janice Fernandes, Sara Jane Webb

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Quebec H3Z 1P2, Canada. mayada.elsabbagh@mcgill.ca

Biological Psychiatry
|February 5, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Infants at risk for autism show delayed visual disengagement by 14 months. This visual attention difficulty in early development may indicate later autism or other developmental concerns.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Early visual orienting skills are linked to developmental outcomes.
  • Investigated visual disengagement development in infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the development of visual disengagement in infants with familial risk for autism.
  • To identify early indicators of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in visual attention skills.

Main Methods:

  • Measured visual disengagement efficiency in 104 infants (with/without familial ASD risk).
  • Assessed infants at 7 and 14 months of age.
  • Followed up with diagnostic outcomes at 36 months.

Main Results:

  • No strong association between disengagement and outcomes at 7 months.
  • By 14 months, infants later diagnosed with autism showed longer disengagement latencies.
  • Infants later diagnosed with autism or other developmental concerns exhibited atypical visual orienting development between 7 and 14 months.

Conclusions:

  • Atypical visual attention development in the first year is observed in infants who later develop autism or other developmental concerns.
  • Visual disengagement efficiency is a potential early marker for neurodevelopmental disorders.
Abstract

Keywords:
Autismdisengagementfamilial riskinfantprospective studyvisual attention

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