A review of behavioral evidence for hemispheric asymmetry of visuospatial attention in autism.
Autistic people usually show a weaker left-side attention bias on quick line tasks, hinting that the right hemisphere’s spatial spotlight works differently.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team looked at 13 past experiments on how autistic people pay attention to left and right space. They pulled every paper that used line-bisection or similar pen-and-paper tasks.
All studies compared autistic participants with non-autistic controls. The review asked one question: do autistic people show the usual left-side attention bias?
What they found
On simple “mark the middle” tasks, autistic people often missed the true center. They showed a weaker left-side pull than controls.
Performance tests gave mixed answers, but preference-style tasks gave the clearest signal: the left-field bias is reduced in autism.
How this fits with other research
Liu et al. (2022) is one of the 13 studies inside this review. Their line-bisection data match the review’s theme: autistic kids still drift left on long lines, but flip right on short lines when using the left hand. The review widens that single result into a pattern.
Blanchard et al. (1979) first noticed odd right-wider-than-left brain shape in autism. The new review adds behavior to that old anatomy clue: the brain asymmetry may help explain why left-space attention is weaker.
Faso et al. (2016) saw right-hemisphere language recruitment when autistic accuracy drops. Together with the visuospatial review, the picture is clear: lateralization is different across both space and language in autism.
Why it matters
When you test visual skills, place important stimuli slightly to the child’s left to counter the muted left-field bias. Watch for slower responses on short-line bisection with the left hand; it may flag atypical lateralization that also touches language planning. Use these quick paper tasks as low-cost red flags before heavier assessments.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Most individuals show a small bias towards visual stimuli presented in their left visual field (LVF) that reflects right-hemispheric specialization of visuospatial functions. Moreover, this bias is altered by some neurodevelopmental disorders, suggesting they may be linked to changes in hemispheric asymmetry. To examine whether autism potentially alters hemispheric asymmetry, we conducted a systematic search of scientific databases to review existing literature on the link between autism and alterations in visuospatial bias. This search identified 13 publications that had explored this issue using a wide range of experimental designs and stimuli. Evidence of reduced LVF bias associated with autism was most consistent for studies examining attentional bias or preference measured using tasks such as line bisection. Findings for studies examining attentional performance (e.g., reaction time) were more equivocal. Further investigation is called for, and we make several recommendations for how this avenue of research can be extended.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2023 · doi:10.1002/aur.2956