Two-year-olds with autism show no preference for biological motion, unlike typically-developing children. The study found that children with autism do not orient towards point-light displays of biological motion, instead responding to non-social physical contingencies. This suggests that the ability to perceive biological motion, which is crucial for social development, is impaired in children with autism from an early age. The findings indicate that children with autism may have altered neural development, affecting their ability to process social signals and leading to lifelong social interaction difficulties. The study used point-light animations of children's games, such as "peek-a-boo" and "pat-a-cake," to test visual attention in children with autism and typically-developing children. The animations were presented with accompanying audio, and the children's eye movements were tracked to measure their attention. The results showed that children with autism viewed the animations randomly, while typically-developing children showed a clear preference for the upright figures. The study also found that in animations with a causal physical contingency (e.g., clapping sounds when point-light hands collide), children with autism showed a significant preference for the upright figure. This suggests that children with autism may rely on audiovisual synchrony rather than biological motion for visual attention. The findings have important implications for understanding the altered neurodevelopmental trajectory in autism. They suggest that the ability to perceive biological motion, which is essential for social interaction, is impaired in children with autism from an early age. This may contribute to the social and communication difficulties seen in autism spectrum disorders. The study highlights the importance of early intervention and further research into the neural mechanisms underlying social perception in autism.Two-year-olds with autism show no preference for biological motion, unlike typically-developing children. The study found that children with autism do not orient towards point-light displays of biological motion, instead responding to non-social physical contingencies. This suggests that the ability to perceive biological motion, which is crucial for social development, is impaired in children with autism from an early age. The findings indicate that children with autism may have altered neural development, affecting their ability to process social signals and leading to lifelong social interaction difficulties. The study used point-light animations of children's games, such as "peek-a-boo" and "pat-a-cake," to test visual attention in children with autism and typically-developing children. The animations were presented with accompanying audio, and the children's eye movements were tracked to measure their attention. The results showed that children with autism viewed the animations randomly, while typically-developing children showed a clear preference for the upright figures. The study also found that in animations with a causal physical contingency (e.g., clapping sounds when point-light hands collide), children with autism showed a significant preference for the upright figure. This suggests that children with autism may rely on audiovisual synchrony rather than biological motion for visual attention. The findings have important implications for understanding the altered neurodevelopmental trajectory in autism. They suggest that the ability to perceive biological motion, which is essential for social interaction, is impaired in children with autism from an early age. This may contribute to the social and communication difficulties seen in autism spectrum disorders. The study highlights the importance of early intervention and further research into the neural mechanisms underlying social perception in autism.