doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2015.09.042
Eye-tracking patterns show how people on the autism spectrum (left) view the world differently.
They typically don't look at faces as closely; they can be more easily overwhelmed by too many stimuli; and they may fixate intensely on one thing at a time.
Previous research found these and other differences, but a new study helps you see the world how many people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) might.
The study, published in October in the journal Neuron, tracked 39 participants' eyes as they looked at 700 different images. Half of the participants had been officially diagnosed with ASD, and the other half were "neurotypical," meaning they didn't meet enough diagnostic criteria to be considered autistic.
"Among other findings, our work shows that the story is not as simple as saying 'people with ASD don't look normally at faces.' They don't look at most things in a typical way," study co-author Ralph Adolphs, a neuroscientist at CalTech, said in a press release.
These images show what participants' eyes gravitated toward, with the reddish areas showing the most looked-at spots. In every image, the participants with autism are on the left and the neurotypical participants are on the right.