Vestibular stimulation and eye contact in autistic children.

Five autistic boys ages 5-1 to 5-10 were studied to determine whether stimulation of the macular receptors of the inner ear through linear motion influences the boys' eye contact with the investigators. The duration of eye contact was measured during linear motion on a motor-driven oscillator and on two hand-operated swings and compared to the duration of eye contact when the macular receptors were not stimulated. Because the boys varied in cooperation, the tests could not be performed using the same apparatus with each child; therefore results were analyzed separately for each child.