Naturalistic stimuli in neuroimaging studies of autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review

Naturalistic stimuli, such as movies and socially rich videos, are increasingly used in neuroimaging to study brain function under conditions that approximate real-world experience. This approach may be particularly informative for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), where social and emotional differences often emerge in complex, dynamic environments that simplified paradigms may not adequately capture. Here, we provide a systematic review of neuroimaging studies that have employed naturalistic stimuli in ASD research. Our goals are to: (i) summarize existing findings; (ii) identify convergent neural findings across different data analysis methods; and (iii) clarify conceptual and methodological limitations that constrain interpretation. Across studies, autistic individuals often show reduced intersubject neural synchronization during naturalistic viewing, particularly in brain regions supporting social cognition and theory of mind. Multiple reports additionally indicate alterations in large-scale functional network organization, although results vary with stimulus type and data analysis used. Some studies have also linked these neural differences to behavioral measures, including autistic traits. Together, these findings suggest that naturalistic stimuli offer a promising framework for capturing heterogeneity in ASD while also introducing challenges related to experimental design and interpretation. We conclude by outlining methodological recommendations to guide future work in this developing field.