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Application of Eye Tracker to Detect Visual Processing of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Sensory Modulation (C Lai, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Children with autism spectrum (ASD) demonstrate atypical visual processing. This review investigated the current literature from 2018 to 2022 on the visual processing regarding visual attention, gaze behaviors, and stimuli preferences of children with ASD via eye tracking studies.

Recent Findings

Children with ASD demonstrated less visual attention in terms of time to first visit, fixation duration, and time per visit towards social stimuli when they are compared with TD children. Both TD children and ASD children showed greater preference for circumscribed objects than non-circumscribed ones. Female ASD children showed better visual attention to social stimuli like faces than male ASD children. Atypical performance of joint attention was also found.

Summary

This review indicated the visual processing of children with ASD compared with TD. Future research focusing on changes in visual processing and eye gaze performance across developmental lifespan stages of ASD individuals was suggested.

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Correspondence to Wilson Y. F. Tang.

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Tang, W.Y.F. Application of Eye Tracker to Detect Visual Processing of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Curr Dev Disord Rep 9, 77–88 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40474-022-00252-6

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