Eye-tracking measures correlate with developmental scores at 18 months

Researchers examined whether eye-tracking could complement early neurodevelopmental assessment in a prospectively recruited cohort of 53 healthy term-born children. At 18 months, participants completed eye-tracking tasks assessing working memory, visual attention, and social cognition alongside the Griffiths Scales of Child Development, third edition (Griffiths-III). Analyses assessed correlations and multivariable associations between eye-tracking measures and developmental scores.

The social-cognition “happy” task showed the strongest correlations. Mean fixation duration on the mouth correlated with Language and Communication scores (r = 0.57, p < 0.001), Foundations of Learning (r = 0.30, p = 0.03), and Personal-Social-Emotional scores (r = 0.37, p = 0.01). It also correlated with overall General Development scores (r = 0.39). Multivariable models incorporating eye-tracking measures explained 36%, 41%, and 55% of variance in Foundations of Learning, Language and Communication, and Personal-Social-Emotional scores, respectively.

The findings support further investigation of eye-tracking as a complementary assessment approach, rather than a replacement for established developmental testing. The small, healthy term-born sample limits generalizability, and associations measured at the same age do not establish prediction of later developmental difficulties or diagnostic accuracy. The authors call for age-appropriate tasks and standardized scoring.