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Updated: Dec 2, 2025
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Eye Tracking Young Children with Autism
Published on: March 27, 2012
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Vision Screening among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Mark W Swanson1, Sarah Dille Lee2, Marcela G Frazier2
1Department of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
Summary
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have higher rates of vision problems. Most children with ASD do not receive comprehensive eye exams from eye care professionals, falling short of public health goals.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Public Health
Background:
- Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience vision problems more frequently than the general population.
- Professional organizations advocate for comprehensive eye assessments by eye care professionals for children with neurodevelopmental disorders, rather than standard vision screening.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the rates of vision screening by eye care professionals versus other locations for children with and without ASD.
- To determine if current screening practices align with recommendations for children with ASD.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH).
- Employed logistic regression to compare vision screening locations among children with and without ASD.
- Analyzed screening data based on age groups (younger than 5 years and older than 5 years).
Main Results:
- Overall, 82.21% of children with ASD received some form of vision screening.
- Among children with ASD younger than 5 years, only 37.62% were seen by eye care professionals; none screened by pediatricians also saw an eye care provider.
- Among children with ASD older than 5 years, 50.15% were examined by eye care professionals.
Conclusions:
- Current vision screening practices for children with ASD fall significantly short of the public health objective for comprehensive assessment by eye care professionals.
- There is a critical gap in ensuring children with ASD receive timely and appropriate eye care evaluations.
