Brief Report: Patterns of Eye Movements in Face to Face Conversation are Associated with Autistic Traits: Evidence from a Student Sample.

Vabalas et al. (2016) filmed 60 college students while they chatted with a stranger. All students were neurotypical. They filled out two forms first: one that rates autistic traits and one that rates social anxiety.

Eye-tracking cameras measured every eye move. The team counted how often and how far the eyes jumped (saccades) during the five-minute talk.

Students who scored high on autistic traits made shorter, less frequent eye jumps. Their gaze stayed in smaller areas of the partner's face.

Social anxiety scores did not explain the pattern. Even within typical adults, more autistic traits meant less visual exploration.

KAgiovlasitis et al. (2025) saw the same link in Indian adults, but used photos instead of live talk. Both studies show that autistic traits, not culture or setting, predict reduced social looking.

Spanoudis et al. (2011) moved the question to diagnosed adults with autism. They also found less time looking at eyes, showing the trait-to-gaze pattern extends across the full spectrum.

Clin et al. (2023) seems to disagree: neurotypicals felt stressed when eye contact was withheld, while autistic people did not. The key difference is direction. Andrius measured how much the viewer moves the eyes; Elise measured how the viewer feels when the partner withholds gaze. Reduced eye movement does not always equal emotional distress.

If you teach social skills, do not assume active looking comes naturally. Clients with high autistic traits may need extra practice shifting gaze between eyes, mouth, and objects. Start with short, clear look-shift cues and praise any quick eye jumps. This tiny tweak can make group instruction or job interviews more comfortable for them.