Gaze Behaviors and Social Communication Skills of Young Autistic Children: A Scoping Review

This review aimed to (a) identify gaze metrics and behavioral assessments used in eye-tracking studies investigating social communication skills of young autistic children and (b) examine the reported correlation between gaze behaviors and social communication skills. We conducted a systematic search process following the PRISMA statement. A total of 19 studies were included in this review. Collectively, six gaze metrics were quantified to describe gaze behaviors, and 10 behavioral assessments of social communication skills or autism characteristics were identified, which were subsequently analyzed by respective stimulus categories. The overall findings from studies that employed semi-naturalistic stimuli suggested that increased social attention, as well as fixating closer to fixation of neurotypical children, is related to better social communication skills of young autistic children. In addition, the overall findings from studies that employed non-semi-naturalistic or live-interaction stimuli suggested that more engagement in gaze movements between shared interests is related to better social communication skills of young autistic children. Findings have implications for early identification and intervention in autism and highlight the need for further research examining factors that may have contributed to some mixed findings on the relation between gaze behaviors and social communication skills.