Oculomotor Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders During a Natural Viewing Task

Background: Previous research has investigated oculomotor function in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) to determine whether these individuals exhibit normal or abnormal motor control of eye movements. Most results indicate that basic eye movement function is intact in individuals with ASD, while some abnormalities may be present when tasks require higher-order cognitive abilities. Another body of research has studied looking patterns during natural viewing, revealing that individuals with ASD look less at others’ eyes and more at mouths and background objects. While this research finds differences in the content of what viewers with ASD and typical development focus on, it has not directly compared oculomotor function in these two groups during natural viewing. The current study is intended to address that question. 

Objectives: To compare properties of visual fixations and saccades in children with ASD and in typically developing children during natural viewing of social scenes. 

Methods: Eye-tracking data were collected while children watched film clips of social interactions. From these data, fixations and saccades were identified. Data on the frequency and duration of fixations, and on the frequency, duration, and velocity of saccades, were then compared across groups. 

Results: Preliminary analyses suggest that properties of saccades and fixations do not differ between children with ASD and typically developing controls.

Conclusions: Basic oculomotor circuitry appears to be intact in children with ASD. This suggests that discrepancies in viewing patterns between individuals with ASD and their typically developing peers are not the result of oculomotor impairments, but rather reflect differences in what aspects of a scene are salient.