100 Section - 3D-Extended Reality-Enhanced Eye-Tracking Technology (XREE-TT) for Early Identification and Intervention of Autism in Young Children

Objectives : Recent advancements in eye-tracking technology have significantly enhanced early intervention for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We developed an integrated system combining naked-eye 3D Extended Reality (XR), encompassing Virtual Reality (VR) with eye-tracking capabilities. This integration enables an XR-enhanced eye-tracking technology (XREE-TT) that supports early autism detection, making the screening process more engaging, accurate, and accessible.

Design: We developed an immersive application of XREE-TT using a LED CAVE (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment) system. In this system, high-resolution direct-view LED panels are installed on three walls, the floor, and the ceiling of a cube-shaped room. The setup integrates XR environments with eye-tracking to create controlled, multisensory conditions for assessing and supporting children with ASD.

We conducted a pilot study to evaluate the usability of this naked-eye 3D XREE-TT system for early autism screening. Participants engaged with two interactive games—Autism Check Match Puzzle and Autism Check Balloon Match within the XREE-TT 3D environment. A battery of performance measures was collected.

Results: One participant completed the assessment: a 7-year-old boy diagnosed with ASD. He performed four sessions of the Autism Check Match Puzzle, with session durations ranging from 21 to 38 seconds. Across sessions, correct matches ranged from 1 to 3, incorrect matches from 0 to 15, and selection times from 6.2 to 8.1 seconds.

For the Autism Check Balloon Match, he completed one session, locating all 6 out of 6 balloons. His best completion time was 2.09 seconds, and his longest time was 4.97 seconds.

Conclusion: The pilot study demonstrated that this naked eye 3D-XREE TT system is feasible, engaging system for children with ASD. Further data analysis will be performed to analyze the accuracy of eye-tracking for screening of ASD.