Continued longitudinal research examining attentional distribution to faces and objects specifically in word learning contexts has the potential to help refine early interventions targeting language outcomes in this population. The results of this study indicate that patterns of visual attention in word-learning contexts may reflect processes of language development that manifest differently in children with autism as compared to children with language delays. Understanding the relationship between visual attention patterns and language learning has implications for studying the emergence of linguistic capacities in infants and toddlers with autism, and may help to guide and refine early interventions targeting word learning in children with autism and non-autistic children with language delays.