1. Ahn SN. Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality Training for Improving Social Skills in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review. Hong Kong J Occup Ther;2025 (Aug 23):15691861251369043.

BACKGROUND: In occupational therapy, various accessible and effective interventions have been used to improve social skills and participation of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The objective of this systematic review was to examine whether virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (VAMR) training affect the development of social skills in individuals with ASD. METHODS: A literature search was conducted across MEDLINE, EMBASE, ERIC, and Web of Science databases. Full articles were reviewed and meticulously screened. Data were extracted from the studies, statistical heterogeneity was evaluated, and effect size was calculated. RESULTS: Using these criteria, 2,929 articles were identified and seven studies were selected. In total, seven studies with 417 individuals with ASD were included. All studies were judged to have an unclear risk of bias concerning the randomization process as they failed to report sufficient information about the selection of the reported results. When analyzed by developmental period, interventions applied to individuals with ASD for social skills were most common from middle childhood to early adolescence. CONCLUSION: Current evidence is insufficient to support effectiveness, and further research is needed to better understand the scope of VAMR training that can provide social skills to individuals with ASD. Nevertheless, this review is significant in that it concluded an intervention combining cognitive behavioral training and VAMR training is useful for individuals in the developmental age group from mid-childhood to early adolescence for their social skills development.

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2. Al-Beltagi M, Al Zahrani AA, Mani BS, Hantash EM, Saeed NK, Bediwy AS, Elbeltagi R. Challenges and solutions in managing dental problems in children with autism. World J Clin Pediatr;2025 (Sep 9);14(3):106778.

BACKGROUND: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face unique challenges in maintaining oral health due to sensory sensitivities, communication difficulties, and behavioral barriers. These factors, along with limited access to ASD-trained dental professionals, increase their risk of dental caries, periodontal disease, bruxism, and other oral health issues. Despite growing awareness of these challenges, a comprehensive synthesis of evidence-based solutions remains lacking. AIM: To review synthesizes existing research on dental problems in ASD, barriers to care, management strategies, and future directions for improved oral health outcomes. METHODS: A systematic search of PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Scopus was conducted using predefined search terms. Related to ASD, dental health, and management strategies. Inclusion criteria encompassed studies focusing on children with ASD, dental health issues, and interventions. Data extraction included study design, participant characteristics, key findings, and intervention outcomes. The quality of studies was assessed using appropriate tools such as the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A narrative synthesis approach, incorporating thematic analysis, was utilized to evaluate the findings. RESULTS: A total of 165 studies met the inclusion criteria. Children with ASD exhibited a higher prevalence of dental caries, gingivitis, bruxism, and malocclusion compared to neurotypical peers. Barriers to dental care included sensory sensitivities, communication difficulties, financial constraints, and a shortage of ASD-trained dental professionals. Effective interventions included desensitization programs, behavioral therapy, digital applications, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Parental education and professional training were crucial for improving oral health outcomes. CONCLUSION: Tailored dental care strategies, including sensory adaptations, behavioral interventions, and interdisciplinary collaboration, are essential for children with ASD. Standardized guidelines and long-term studies are needed to refine evidence-based protocols. Future research should explore digital interventions and probiotic applications in ASD dental care.

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3. Çelik SB, Özkan E. Beyond vision: Exploring the impact of visual perception on participation in children with autism spectrum disorder. PLoS One;2025;20(8):e0330457.

Visual perception plays a crucial role in the daily participation of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in everyday activities. Exploring the relationship between visual perception skills and participation levels can provide valuable insights into effective intervention strategies to enhance engagement in various settings. This study aimed to evaluate visual perception and participation levels in children with ASD in terms of demographic variables and to examine the relationships between visual perception skills and participation in daily life activities. Sixty-one children with autism (mean age = 8.21 ± 1.05 years) enrolled in a special education center were assessed using the Motor-Free Visual Perception Test – 4 (MVPT-4) for visual perception and the Child and Adolescent Scale of Participation (CASP) for participation levels across home, school, neighborhood, and community settings. Statistical analyses included correlation and regression analyses to examine relationships between variables. Findings indicated that boys participated more in home and school activities, whereas girls were more engaged in community settings. Additionally, children from nuclear families had higher participation levels than those from separated families. Regression analysis indicated that visual perception was strongly associated with participation levels (β = 0.617, p < 0.001), accounting for 55.8% of the variance in CASP Total scores. A significant positive correlation was found between visual perception and participation in home (r = 0.358, p < 0.001), school (r = 0.313, p = 0.014), and community activities (r = 0.361, p = 0.004), suggesting that better visual perception is linked to higher participation levels. The results suggest that visual perception is a significant factor influencing participation levels in children with ASD. Furthermore, family type showed a significant contribution to participation variance in the regression analysis. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating visual perception-based interventions to enhance the participation of children with ASD in everyday activities, yet they should be interpreted as correlational rather than causal, highlighting the need for future longitudinal or interventional research.

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4. Cho B, Kim H, An S, Hwang Y, Kwon D, Park J, Lengner CJ, Kim J. Aberrant neural stem cell quiescence is the gateway to autism development linked to Arid1b. Mol Psychiatry;2025 (Aug 30)

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder with social communication deficits, repetitive behaviors, and restricted interests. While previous studies have demonstrated a close link between aberrant neurogenesis and the development of autism, a fundamental question remains unresolved: Does the anomalous neurogenesis observed in autism serve as a causative factor, and if so, could restoring aberrant neurogenesis alleviate autistic behaviors? In this study, we demonstrate that the manifestation of autistic behaviors can be caused by the aberrant activity of quiescent neural stem cells (qNSCs), resulting from the conditional deletion of Arid1b in adult brain NSCs. Particularly, increased H3K27me3 levels in qNSCs due to conditional Arid1b deficiency precipitated autism-related phenotypes, but rescuing this through H3K27me3 inhibition effectively reversed autistic-like phenotypes. Importantly, we also found quiescent like NSCs in humans carrying the ARID1B mutation, as well as in NSCs of sporadic autism patients. These results highlight the significant role of aberrant qNSCs associated with adult neurogenesis for autism development in adult brain, offering a novel avenue for potentially controlling qNSC activity as a therapeutic strategy for autism.

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5. Efthimiou TN, Lewis S, Foster SJ, Wilks CEH, Dodd M, Jiménez-Sánchez L, Ropar D, Ackerman RA, Sasson NJ, Fletcher-Watson S, Crompton CJ. Diagnostic status influences rapport and communicative behaviours in dyadic interactions between autistic and non-autistic people. PLoS One;2025;20(8):e0330222.

A growing body of research suggests that the behaviours and experiences of autistic and non-autistic people are influenced by whether they are interacting with someone of the same or different diagnostic status. However, little is known about the relationship between these behaviours and the experiences of rapport in matched and mixed neurotype dyads. Using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model, our pre-registered analyses examine how participants’ and their partners’ diagnostic statuses influence linguistic, behavioural, and kinematic indices, and how these relate to feelings of rapport among autistic and (n = 57; 17 self-diagnosed) non-autistic (n = 51) participants interacting within autistic (n = 20), non-autistic (n = 17), and mixed autistic-non-autistic (n = 17) dyads. We found that autistic participants reported lower rapport regardless of their partner’s diagnostic status, though awareness of their partner’s diagnostic status had a moderating effect. We observed a linguistic difference, autistic participants produced longer mean utterance lengths, these and other behavioural or kinematic indices did not mediate the relationship between diagnostic status and rapport across neurotypes. The current work highlights the need for a nuanced understanding of communication dynamics in autism.

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6. Ferrara R, Iovino L, Ricci L, Avallone A, Latina R, Ricci P. Food selectivity and autism: A systematic review. World J Clin Pediatr;2025 (Sep 9);14(3):101974.

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests in the first years of life, with a complex pathogenesis influenced by biological, genetic and epigenetic factors. Many children with ASD display marked food selectivity, often restricting themselves to a narrow range of foods. The problems associated with feeding children with ASD can vary widely, from mild cases that pose no immediate health risks, to more severe situations with a risk of malnutrition or, conversely, overeating. This scoping review aims to provide an in-depth overview of the frequency, nature and factors related to food selectivity in children with autism. AIM: To comprehensively review the literature on food selectivity in ASD. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was conducted using the PubMed, Web of Science and EBSCO databases, to identify articles published in English from 2014 until 2024. Studies on a sample diagnosed with ASD and food selectivity were included. The selected databases were chosen for their broad coverage of the scientific literature. These databases represent reliable sources of high-quality articles, ensuring a comprehensive and up-to-date search. RESULTS: We evaluated 222 studies on food selectivity in autism, from which duplicates were removed and unrelated titles were filtered out. Finally, 9 articles were included in the review. Five articles provide a general overview of the phenomenon, analysing its nature and factors. Two studies delve into sensory sensitivity, in particular the impact of food textures, tastes and smells. Finally, two studies focus on problem behaviour during mealtimes. CONCLUSION: Children with ASD have greater food selectivity than the neurotypical population. The diet should contain a greater variety of fruit, vegetables, yoghurt, while reducing the consumption of rice and pasta.

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7. Hann F, Pesthy O, Brezóczki B, Vékony T, Nagy CA, Sapey-Triomphe LA, Tóth-Fáber E, Farkas BC, Farkas K, Németh D. Autistic traits relate to speed/accuracy trade-off but not statistical learning and updating. Sci Rep;2025 (Aug 30);15(1):32001.

Cognitive and social alterations characterize Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), yet comprehensive explanations are challenged by ASD’s heterogeneity. One candidate framework is predictive processing, which posits that predictive processes are altered in ASD (e.g., slower internal model updating). We tested this framework using the spectrum approach, which suggests that subclinical autistic traits are continuously distributed in the general population, with most diagnosed individuals above a threshold. We recruited neurotypical adults (N = 296) to examine the relationship between autistic traits and predictive processing. Using an implicit statistical learning task, we tested model updating in an unsupervised, ecologically valid manner, and assessed speed/accuracy trade-off to control for potential visuomotor performance confounds in ASD. We found no difference in model updating rate along autistic traits, suggesting no relationship between these traits and model updating in the general population, contrary to the slow updating hypothesis. However, our results reveal a difference in the evolution of speed/accuracy trade-off along the degree of autistic traits, potentially indicating a shift in the balance of goal-directed and habitual systems related to autistic traits. These findings set the stage for further research on the interaction between executive functions and predictive, habitual processes related to autistic symptoms.

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8. Hollocks MJ, Schwartzman JM. Conceptualizing Pathways to Depression and Anxiety in Autistic Youth Using the Cognitive and Behavioral Model of Low Self-Esteem. Cogn Behav Pract;2024 (Dec 9)

Autistic youth are more likely to experience both anxiety and depression than their nonautistic peers, yet treatment options are extremely limited. Clinicians working with this population lack a robust evidence base of psychological models within which to formulate and treat these enduring internalizing disorders in autistic youth. Negative self-esteem is a robust risk factor-and treatment target-for internalizing disorders in nonautistic youth that remains largely understudied in autistic youth. The Cognitive and Behavioral Model of Low Self-Esteem (Fennell, 1997) was conceived to guide the development of cognitive-behavioral interventions targeting this construct in the general population. The model highlights how low-self-esteem develops from the interacting effects of temperament and negative experiences, leading to the formation of dysfunctional assumptions, and the subsequent development and maintenance of anxiety and depression. Autistic individuals are known to have specific vulnerabilities across the core elements of this model, making it potentially pertinent for this population. In this paper, we describe a theoretical extension of the model for autistic youth. We then use a blended case example to inform case conceptualization using the model to understand how low self-esteem may develop in an autistic youth and act to maintain anxiety and depression. Future directions for research into the use of the Low Self-Esteem Model in autistic youth are also discussed.

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9. Joseph AP, Babu A. Redefining communication in mental healthcare: generative AI for neurodivergent equity and non-verbal autistic inclusion. Front Psychiatry;2025;16:1611101.

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10. Kaan H, Coskun M. Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Child with Megalencephaly-capillary Malformation-polymicrogyria Syndrome: A Case Report. Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci;2025 (Aug 31);23(3):516-519.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and social interaction as well as repetitive behaviors and restricted interests. The genetic mechanism underlying ASD is as complex and heterogeneous as the clinical presentation of the disorder itself. Megalencephaly-capillary malformation syndrome (MCAP) is a rare genetic disorder that is associated with mutations in the ADGRV1 and PIK3CA genes. To the best of our knowledge, there is only one case report in the literature that documents the coexistence of MCAP and ASD. In this case study, we present the case of a 14-year-old girl diagnosed with both ASD and MCAP who was admitted to our clinic. Diagnosing ASD in patients with genetic syndromes can be challenging due to pre-existing cognitive and medical issues. This case underscores the importance of regular child psychiatry follow-ups for children with genetic syndromes to ensure timely and accurate diagnosis of ASD.

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11. Kersh GT, Subke AA, Alshehri M. Physicians’ Perception of Telemedicine Use for Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorder at the Mental Health Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study. Cureus;2025 (Aug);17(8):e91125.

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulties in social interaction, communication, and the presence of repetitive behaviors. The increasing prevalence of ASD highlights the critical need for early diagnosis and tailored, long-term management. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the expectations, perceived benefits, and barriers related to telemedicine among physicians and psychiatric residents at the Mental Health Hospital. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Mental Health Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, including all affiliated physicians and psychiatric residents through total population sampling. Data were collected using a secure, self-administered online questionnaire, which incorporated the validated Telemedicine Expectations Questionnaire (TEQ) to assess expectations, perceived benefits, and barriers to telemedicine. Appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics were used, with a p-value <0.05 considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The study involved 49 physicians aged 21-30, with a nearly equal gender distribution. Junior residents were the largest professional group at 34.69% (n=17). More than half of the participants agreed that telemedicine is a useful tool for diagnosing ASD (n=25, 51.02%) and for communicating diagnoses to families (n=22, 44.90%). However, fewer participants supported its use for treatment (n=17, 34.69%) or as a routine diagnostic tool (n=15, 30.61%). The most recognized benefits included improving parenting skills (n=29, 59.18%), saving time (n=22, 44.90%), and increasing care flexibility (n=24, 48.98%). Reported barriers involved poor internet connection (n=25, 51.02%), difficulty tracking children during sessions (n=20, 40.82%), and the child's embarrassment (n=29, 59.18%). No significant associations were found except for benefits, which varied by experience (p=0.037). CONCLUSION: Telemedicine has become a viable alternative to traditional treatments, especially during public health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted in-person care. Despite challenges such as limited internet access, tele-assessments align closely with conventional evaluations, and parent-mediated tele-interventions have been shown to improve communication and social skills.

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12. Kırşan FZ, Doğan Ö, Yaylacı M, Öztop DB. Fractalkine and Neuroinflammation in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Novel Perspective. Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci;2025 (Aug 31);23(3):467-475.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of neuroinflammation in the etiopathogenesis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), we investigated the role of fractalkine and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), which may be potential biomarkers for ASD. This study aimed to evaluate the serum levels of interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) and to investigate the relationship between fractalkine, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and hs-CRP and the severity of symptoms in ASD. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 44 children between the ages of 24-72 months diagnosed with ASD constituted the research group, and 44 healthy children of similar age and sex constituted the control group. Detailed mental status examinations were performed in both groups. Symptom severity of children diagnosed with ASD was evaluated using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Autism Behaviour Checklist and Repetitive Behaviours Scale-Revised Turkish Version. Peripheral venous blood samples were obtained from children in both groups and serum fractalkine, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and hs-CRP levels were measured by ELISA method. RESULTS: Serum fractalkine and IL-1β levels of children in the ASD group were significantly lower than those in the control group. No significant difference was found between the groups in serum TNF-α, IL-6 and hs-CRP levels. There was no correlation between ASD severity and fractalkine, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 levels. CONCLUSION: Our study is the first to evaluate serum fractalkine levels in ASD in early childhood. Our findings suggest that fractalkine may play a role in the etiopathogenesis of ASD in early life and may be a potential biomarker for ASD.

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13. Liu H, Li T, Qin R, Li L, Ji C, Yuan X, Chen B, Li C, Wang X. Altered gray matter networks in the co-occurrence of autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Behav Brain Res;2025 (Aug 28);495:115787.

Although the comorbidity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (ASD+ADHD) is prevalent, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying this combined condition are not yet fully understood. Both ASD and ADHD have been associated with alterations in gray matter (GM) structural networks, suggesting that such altered GM networks may serve as potential markers for identifying this comorbid disorder. In this study, we compared the GM structural networks in ASD+ADHD, ASD without ADHD (ASD-only), ADHD without ASD (ADHD-only), and typically developing controls (TDc). Structural magnetic resonance imaging data of 41 individuals with ASD+ADHD, 53 individuals with ASD-only, 40 individuals with ADHD-only, and 62 TDc were obtained from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange II and the ADHD-200 Sample databases. Graph theory analysis was employed to construct individual GM structural networks for each participant, followed by the calculation of topological metrics based on these networks. Our analysis revealed both common and disorder-specific nodal centralities alterations across the ASD+ADHD, ASD-only, and ADHD-only groups, compared with TDc. A significant correlation was found between the severity of symptoms and altered nodal centralities in the amygdala in the ASD+ADHD group. These findings support the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 diagnosis of ASD+ADHD. Moreover, these findings provide novel neurobiological evidence for the ASD+ADHD comorbid state, which could lead to more targeted diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

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14. Schwartzman JM, McMorris CA, Brown CM, Trollor JN, Uljarević M, Stokes MA, Williams ZJ, Hedley D. Elevated Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Autistic Youth and Adults: A Multinational Study. Autism Adulthood;2025 (Mar 13)

BACKGROUND: Autistic people are at significant risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). We examined STB and NSSI in different age-groups, considering sex- and age-based effects, in a pooled multinational sample of English-speaking autistic children and adults. METHODS: We administered the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale to 245 autistic people without intellectual disability (139 youth and 106 adults; 46.1% female sex; M (age) = 24.8, SD (age) = 16.3 years, range = 7-70) or their caregivers in Australia, Canada, and the United States. The study samples were enriched with autistic people experiencing depression and suicidality. RESULTS: Most participants (87.8%) reported suicidal ideation and NSSI (56.3%). Nearly one-third of autistic people (31.0%) reported a lifetime suicide attempt (M = 2.9 attempts; range = 1-26); overdosing was the most common method of suicide attempt. Sex was not a significant risk factor for suicidal ideation, behavior, or NSSI. Increases in lifetime suicidal ideation were observed across older age-groups, with those aged over 18 years reporting more severe and longer-lasting ideation than in children or adolescents. The youngest age of suicide attempt was 7 years in this sample, and the average ages of first/initial, most lethal, and most recent suicide attempts in youth (n = 24) and adults (n = 42) were 16.6, 19.2, and 20.8 years old, respectively. CONCLUSION: Regardless of age-group, autistic people across the lifespan constitute a high-priority group for suicide prevention strategies, development of appropriate assessments, and evaluation of system-level programs that effectively address the problem of preventable death by suicide.

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15. Sujana DS, Augustine DP. FaithfulNet: An explainable deep learning framework for autism diagnosis using structural MRI. Brain Res;2025 (Aug 27);1866:149904.

Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) can decode the ‘black box’ models, enhancing trust in clinical decision-making. XAI makes the predictions of deep learning models interpretable, transparent, and trustworthy. This study employed XAI techniques to explain the predictions made by a deep learning-based model for diagnosing autism and identifying the memory regions responsible for children’s academic performance. This study utilized publicly available sMRI data from the ABIDE-II repository. First, a deep learning model, FaithfulNet, was developed to aid in the diagnosis of autism. Next, gradient-based class activation maps and the SHAP gradient explainer were employed to generate explanations for the model’s predictions. These explanations were integrated to develop a novel and faithful visual explanation, Faith_CAM. Finally, this faithful explanation was quantified using the pointing game score and analyzed with cortical and subcortical structure masks to identify the impaired brain regions in the autistic brain. This study achieved a classification accuracy of 99.74% with an AUC value of 1. In addition to facilitating autism diagnosis, this study assesses the degree of impairment in memory regions responsible for the children’s academic performance, thus contributing to the development of personalized treatment plans.

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16. Webb SJ, Kwan B, Bernier R, Charwarska K, Dawson G, Dziura J, Faja S, Hellmann G, Jeste S, Kleinhans N, Levin A, Naples A, Sabatos-DeVito M, Şentürk D, Shic F, Sugar C, McPartland JC. Face perception, attention, and memory as predictors of social change in autistic children. J Neurodev Disord;2025 (Aug 30);17(1):54.

OBJECTIVE: Social perception and attention markers have been identified that, on average, differentiate autistic from non-autistic children. However, little is known about how these markers predict behavior over time at both short and long time intervals. METHODS: We conducted a large multisite, naturalistic study of 6- to 11-year-old children diagnosed with ASD (n = 214). We evaluated three markers of social processing: social perception via the ERP N170 Latency to Upright Faces; social attention via the Eye Tracking (ET) OMI (Oculomotor Index of Gaze to Human Faces) that captures percent looking to faces from three tasks; and social cognition via the NEPSY Face Memory task. Each was evaluated in predicting social ability and autistic social behaviors derived from parental interviews and questionnaires about child behavior at + 6 months (T3) and + 4 years (T4). RESULTS: Adjusting for baseline performance, time between measurements, age, and sex, our results suggest differential prognostic relations for each of the markers. The ERP N170 Latency to Upright Faces showed limited prognostic relations, with a significant relation to short term changes in face memory. The ET OMI was related to face memory over both short and long term. Both the ET OMI and Face Memory predicted long-term autistic social behavior scores. CONCLUSIONS: In the context of a large-scale, rigorous evaluation of candidate markers for use in future clinical trials, our primary markers had significant but small-effect prognostic capability. The ET OMI and Face Memory showed significant long-term predictive relations, with increased visual attention to faces and better face memory at baseline related to increased social approach and decreased autistic social behaviors 4 years later. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s11689-025-09646-0.

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17. Wu QF, Cai WM. The effects of an integrated sports and arts intervention on response joint attention (RJA) eye-movement characteristics in children with mild autism. Sci Rep;2025 (Aug 29);15(1):31925.

This study examines whether integrating sports and arts interventions enhances response joint attention (RJA) in children with mild autism and provides insights for diversifying intervention strategies for autism. 2024.6-2024.12,Twenty-four children with autism, aged 6-12 years, were recruited from an autism association in Anhui Province, China. Participants were randomized using a computer-generated sequence (allocation concealed from assessors) assigned to an experimental group (n = 12) or a control group (n = 12). Over 12 weeks, the experimental group participated in basketball and drawing lessons four times a week for 60 min per session, while the control group engaged only in routine activities and structured teaching provided by their school and the association. RJA performance was assessed pre- and post-intervention using eye-tracking technology, analyzing key metrics: time to first fixation (TFF), fixation count (FC), total fixation duration (TFD), total visit duration (TVD), visit count (VC), and the ratio of correct to incorrect for first responses. Post-intervention, the experimental group showed significantly greater improvements in RJA performance than the control group. Key metrics for the experimental group included TFF (0.52 ± 0.79), FC (36.35 ± 6.34), TFD (11.05 ± 1.33), TVD (17.05 ± 2.33), VC (24.25 ± 2.49), and correct-to-incorrect ratio (1.1 ± 0.1), all of which outperformed the control group: TFF (0.59 ± 0.11), FC (30.83 ± 2.14), TFD (9.47 ± 1.38), TVD (15.42 ± 1.51), VC (20.33 ± 1.87), and correct-to-incorrect ratio (0.97 ± 0.08),partialη(2) ranged from 0.25 to 0.78, with P < 0.05. Integrating sports and arts interventions significantly improves RJA in children with autism, highlighting the potential of these methods in enhancing attention-related behaviors.

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