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Updated: Jan 22, 2026

Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
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The Diagnostic Potential of Eye Tracking to Detect Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children: A Systematic Review

Marcella Di Cara1, Carmela De Domenico1, Adriana Piccolo1

  • 1IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino-Pulejo, S.S. 113 Via Palermo, C. da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.

Medical Sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
|January 21, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Autistic children show different visual attention patterns, like less focus on social cues and unusual eye movements, compared to typically developing peers. These differences in visual attention may offer insights into autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Ophthalmology

Background:

  • Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by unique visual attention patterns.
  • These patterns offer insights into the social-cognitive mechanisms underlying ASD.
  • Understanding these visual differences is crucial for early detection and intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review and synthesize evidence on eye-tracking studies comparing visual attention in autistic children and typically developing (TD) controls.
  • To identify key oculomotor differences in individuals with ASD.
  • To explore the potential of eye-tracking as a diagnostic tool for ASD.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review adhering to PRISMA guidelines.
  • Searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Science Direct for studies up to March 2025.
  • Included 14 peer-reviewed studies comparing autistic children (<18 years) with TD controls using eye-tracking.

Main Results:

  • Autistic children demonstrated reduced fixation on socially relevant stimuli.
  • Atypical saccadic behavior and more variable spatial exploration were observed in autistic children.
  • Significant heterogeneity was noted in study methodologies and participant selection.

Conclusions:

  • Oculomotor differences in ASD suggest altered social attention and information processing.
  • Eye-tracking reveals heterogeneous gaze profiles in ASD, aiding understanding of neurocognitive functioning.
  • Visual attention patterns show promise as indicators for developing sensitive diagnostic tools for ASD.

Keywords:
autism spectrum disorderdiagnosisearly interventioneye-trackingoculomotor strategiessystematic reviewvisual attention

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