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The objectives were to compare patterns of visual attention in toddlers diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as compared to their sex‐ and age‐matched neurotypical (NT) peers. Participants included 23 toddlers with ASD and 19 NT toddlers (mean age: 25.52 versus 25.21 months, respectively) assessed using computerized tasks to measure sustained attention, disengaging attention, and cognitive control, as well as an in‐person task to assess joint attention. Toddlers in the ASD group showed increased looking durations on the sustained attention task, as well as reduced frequencies of responding to and initiating joint attention compared to NT peers, but showed no differences on tasks of disengaging attention and cognitive control. The results suggest that toddlers with ASD have attentional strengths that may provide a foundation for building attention, communicative, and ultimately, academic skills. Lay Summary: We wanted to compare different parts of attention in toddlers diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as compared to their neurotypical (NT) peers. Participants included 23 2‐year‐old toddlers with ASD and 19 2‐year‐old NT toddlers assessed using computer‐based tasks to measure different parts of visually‐based attention, as well as an in‐person task to assess social attention. Toddlers in the ASD group showed differences on the computer‐based tasks and socially based attention compared to NT peers. The results suggest that toddlers with ASD have attention strengths that can provide a foundation for building attention, communicative, and ultimately, academic skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives were to compare patterns of visual attention in toddlers diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as compared to their sex- and age-matched neurotypical (NT) peers. Participants included 23 toddlers with ASD and 19 NT toddlers (mean age: 25.52 versus 25.21 months, respectively) assessed using computerized tasks to measure sustained attention, disengaging attention, and cognitive control, as well as an in-person task to assess joint attention. Toddlers in the ASD group showed increased looking durations on the sustained attention task, as well as reduced frequencies of responding to and initiating joint attention compared to NT peers, but showed no differences on tasks of disengaging attention and cognitive control. The results suggest that toddlers with ASD have attentional strengths that may provide a foundation for building attention, communicative, and ultimately, academic skills., (© 2023 The Authors. Autism Research published by International Society for Autism Research and Wiley Periodicals LLC.)