Task-Based Measurement of Attention Disengagement, Gaze Shifting and Cue-Response Latency in Autistic Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Operational Definitions and Measurement Properties

This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to comprehensively investigate task-based measurement approaches used to assess attention disengagement, gaze shifting, and cue-response latency in autistic children. These domains represent important components of visual attention, attentional flexibility, oculomotor control, and information processing, which may demonstrate differences in autistic children compared with non-autistic children. The study will identify and critically evaluate the experimental and behavioural paradigms used to measure these constructs, including gap–overlap tasks, visual orienting paradigms, gaze-shifting tasks, eye-tracking assessments, and cue-target response-time experiments. Particular emphasis will be placed on examining how these constructs are operationally defined, the outcome parameters employed, task characteristics, stimulus presentation, response requirements, and data acquisition methods. Additionally, the review will evaluate the measurement properties of these assessment approaches, including reliability, validity, measurement error, and feasibility, wherever evidence is available. A systematic literature search will be conducted across relevant databases, followed by study selection, data extraction, methodological quality assessment, and narrative synthesis. Meta-analysis will be performed where sufficient methodological and statistical homogeneity exists to support quantitative pooling. The expected outcomes include the development of a comprehensive classification of task-based measurement approaches, identification of inconsistencies in operational definitions and outcome measures, evaluation of the available psychometric evidence, and identification of methodological gaps in existing research. Ultimately, this study aims to establish a clearer evidence base for selecting, standardising, and improving task-based assessment methods in autism research, thereby supporting reproducibility, comparability, and the development of more robust measurement frameworks for investigating visual attention and related neurodevelopmental processes in autistic children.