Autism Spectrum Disorder Face Research Articles

Investigating the Face Inversion Effect in Autism Across Behavioral and Neural Measures of Face Processing

Face processing is foundational to human social cognition, is central to the hallmark features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and shapes neural systems and social behavior. Highly efficient and specialized, the face processing system is sensitive to inversion, demonstrated by reduced accuracy in recognition and altered neural response to inverted faces. Understanding at which mechanistic level the autistic face processing system may be particularly different, as measured by the face inversion effect, will improve overall understanding of brain functioning in autism. To synthesize data from the extant literature to determine differences of the face processing system in ASD, as measured by the face inversion effect, across multiple mechanistic levels. Systematic searches were conducted in the MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and PubMed databases from inception to August 11, 2022. Original research that reported performance-based measures of face recognition to upright and inverted faces in ASD and neurotypical samples were included for quantitative synthesis. All studies were screened by at least 2 reviewers. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted according to the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) reporting guideline. Multiple effect sizes were extracted from studies to maximize information gain and statistical precision and used a random-effects, multilevel modeling framework to account for statistical dependencies within study samples. Effect sizes were calculated as a standardized mean change score between ASD and neurotypical samples (ie, Hedges g). The primary outcome measure was performance difference between upright and inverted faces during face recognition tasks. Measurement modality, psychological construct, recognition demand, sample age, sample sex distribution, and study quality assessment scores were assessed as moderators. Of 1768 screened articles, 122 effect sizes from 38 empirical articles representing data from 1764 individual participants (899 ASD individuals and 865 neurotypical individuals) were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, face recognition performance differences between upright and inverted faces were reduced in autistic individuals compared with neurotypical individuals (g = -0.41; SE = 0.11; 95% credible interval [CrI], -0.63 to -0.18). However, there was considerable heterogeneity among effect sizes, which were explored with moderator analysis. The attenuated face inversion effect in autistic individuals was more prominent in emotion compared with identity recognition (b = 0.46; SE = 0.26; 95% CrI, -0.08 to 0.95) and in behavioral compared with electrophysiological measures (b = 0.23; SE = 0.24; 95% CrI, -0.25 to 0.70). This study found that on average, face recognition in autism is less impacted by inversion. These findings suggest less specialization or expertise of the face processing system in autism, particularly in recognizing emotion from faces as measured in behavioral paradigms.

Time-Based and Event-Based Prospective Memory in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Virtual Week Investigation.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex developmental condition including persistent challenges with social communication, restricted interests, and repetitive behavior. Though prospective memory failures are commonly observed in ASD population it has been less studied among adults with ASD. Prospective memory (PM) refers to the execution of delayed intentions. There are contradictory findings of regular and irregular prospective memory task among autistic adults. The present study is an attempt to investigate prospective memory performance among adults with autism spectrum disorder using the Virtual Week board game. Virtual Week (Rendell & Craik, 2000) (3-day Version) is a computerized board game in which participants after rolling a die move token clockwise around the board. Each round of the board represents one virtual "day." Adults between 16 and 25 years of age who were diagnosed with ASD (N = 23) were compared with non-ASD (N = 26) adults. Analyses of variance were used to analyze the data. Results revealed that autistic adults as compared to normal adults showed poorer performance on time-based task than on event-based task. A significant difference was evident between regular and irregular prospective memory tasks across both tasks among autistic adults. Results also revealed that ASD difficulties are associated with the prospective component of the irregular task. Prospective memory failures are widely observed in ASD group, and have important implications for functional independence. The findings of this study provide insight into prospective memory challenges that adults with autism spectrum disorder face in a daily basis.

Using Digital Storytelling to Improve Knowledge Acquisition of Circumscribed Interests of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder face difficulties in many areas, such as academic performance and social integration. However, suppose the circumscribed interest of the children with Autism Spectrum Disorder could be adequately taken advantage of. In that case, more career opportunities could be open to them, which may facilitate their social integration. Hence, exploring how to better shape the knowledge acquisition process of the circumscribed interest areas is meaningful. Digital storytelling is considered to be an excellent pedagogical method for teaching children with autism. Therefore, this study aims to test whether digital storytelling positively influences knowledge acquisition in the CI area. Two websites with similar content but different design structures (one with digital storytelling and one without digital storytelling) are given to two children with autism between nine to twelve years old. It was predicted that a website with a digital storytelling design has a higher attraction level and thus leads to a better learning outcome. The result demonstrates that children with ASD prefer the design structure of digital storytelling and could correctly answer more questions on the website with digital storytelling. Future studies may use digital storytelling to smooth the knowledge acquisition in the CI areas.

Sensory salience processing moderates attenuated gazes on faces in autism spectrum disorder: a case–control study

BackgroundAttenuated social attention is a key marker of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Recent neuroimaging findings also emphasize an altered processing of sensory salience in ASD. The locus coeruleus–norepinephrine system (LC-NE) has been established as a modulator of this sensory salience processing (SSP). We tested the hypothesis that altered LC-NE functioning contributes to different SSP and results in diverging social attention in ASD.MethodsWe analyzed the baseline eye-tracking data of the EU-AIMS Longitudinal European Autism Project (LEAP) for subgroups of autistic participants (n = 166, age = 6–30 years, IQ = 61–138, gender [female/male] = 41/125) or neurotypical development (TD; n = 166, age = 6–30 years, IQ = 63–138, gender [female/male] = 49/117) that were matched for demographic variables and data quality. Participants watched brief movie scenes (k = 85) depicting humans in social situations (human) or without humans (non-human). SSP was estimated by gazes on physical and motion salience and a corresponding pupillary response that indexes phasic activity of the LC-NE. Social attention is estimated by gazes on faces via manual areas of interest definition. SSP is compared between groups and related to social attention by linear mixed models that consider temporal dynamics within scenes. Models are controlled for comorbid psychopathology, gaze behavior, and luminance.ResultsWe found no group differences in gazes on salience, whereas pupillary responses were associated with altered gazes on physical and motion salience. In ASD compared to TD, we observed pupillary responses that were higher for non-human scenes and lower for human scenes. In ASD, we observed lower gazes on faces across the duration of the scenes. Crucially, this different social attention was influenced by gazes on physical salience and moderated by pupillary responses.LimitationsThe naturalistic study design precluded experimental manipulations and stimulus control, while effect sizes were small to moderate. Covariate effects of age and IQ indicate that the findings differ between age and developmental subgroups.ConclusionsPupillary responses as a proxy of LC-NE phasic activity during visual attention are suggested to modulate sensory salience processing and contribute to attenuated social attention in ASD.

Suicide and non-fatal self-injury-related emergency department visits among individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

This study used data for 14.4 million individuals with 43.5 million emergency department visits from all hospitals in the state of New York to explore the association between suicide and non-fatal self-injury-related (self-injury) emergency department visits and autism spectrum disorder. Overall, we found that individuals with autism spectrum disorder had more emergency department visits and admissions through the emergency department, more years of emergency department utilization, and higher prevalence of mental health-related comorbidities. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder were also significantly more likely to have at least one self-injury-related emergency department visit compared to those without autism spectrum disorder. These results emphasize the need to raise awareness across both family caregivers and healthcare providers on the increased suicide and self-injury risks that individuals with autism spectrum disorder face and to improve care delivery practices. In addition, effort to promote and increase timely access to mental health care is an urgent priority for individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

The Impact of Pressure Upon Parents in Raising Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders

In 2017, the World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed that 1 in 160 children worldwide is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which continues to grow worldwide. This statistic proves that many parents worldwide continue to battle the challenge of raising and educating this select group of children. This paper is a comprehensive study, gleaning information from various pieces of writing and research focused on the pressure influencing parents of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in terms of caregiving whilst finding a practical alternative in caring for children with special needs. This research has revealed that behavioral difficulties, financial constraints, and societal acceptance largely contribute to the pressure parents of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) experience. The result of this research shows that parents of children with ASD face a plethora of difficulties and require support from various entities in order to navigate them successfully. To lessen the caregiver's burden, spouses, typically developing children, the community, and the government must provide unwavering support and understanding. Hence, this research aims to provide insight into the struggles faced by parents of children with ASD or even serve as a guideline to develop support or intervention programs for children with ASD and their parents

Asynchronous neural oscillations associated with subliminal affective face priming in autism spectrum disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by social communicative disturbance. Social communication requires rapid processing and accurate cognition regarding others' emotional expressions. Previous electrophysiological studies have attempted to elucidate the processes underlying atypical face-specific N170 responses to emotional faces in ASD. The present study explored subliminal affective priming effects (SAPEs) on the N170 response and time-frequency analysis of intertrial phase coherence (ITPC) for the N170 in ASD. Fifteen participants [seven participants with ASD and eight typically developing (TD) controls] were recruited for the experiment. Event-related potentials were recorded with a 128-channel electroencephalography device while participants performed an emotional face judgment task. The results revealed enhanced N170 amplitude for supraliminal target-face stimuli when they were preceded by subliminal fearful-face stimuli, in both the ASD and TD groups. Interestingly, TD participants exhibited higher alpha-ITPC in the subliminal fearful-face priming condition in the right face-specific area in the N170 time window. In contrast, there were no significant differences in ITPC in any frequency bands between the subliminal fearful and neutral priming conditions in the ASD group. Asynchronous phase-locking neural activities in the face-specific area may underlie impaired nonconscious face processing in ASD, despite the presence of common features of SAPEs for the N170 component in both the ASD and TD groups.

Social support for families raising children with autism spectrum disorders

The article reviews the issues the families raising children with Autism Spectrum Disorders encounter and the assistance available. The theoretical part presents the concept of Autism Spectrum Disorders and reviews the legal acts regulating family support and the need for social worker’s assistance for those families. The disorder usually manifests itself in early childhood, but the symptoms of autism can also appear later when social norms exceed the individual’s capabilities. Currently, there is no cure for Autism Spectrum Disorders, but various scientific studies show that it can be facilitated with various treatments. The research data show that after the child’s diagnosis, families received various social support; they were provided with the child’s disability and care money, sanatorium treatment, speech therapist services, special kindergarten education services, and psychologist services. It has also been determined that parents often face problems, such as financial difficulties, disturbed life rhythm, changed family functions, changes in family relationships, stress, and anxiety. It has been revealed that families raising children with Autism Spectrum Disorders lack free psychological counselling, greater financial support and information about autism spectrum disorder in one place. Parents often cannot find work because employers do not create favourable conditions allowing them to align parents’ working hours to the working hours of the child’s education institution. Parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders face social rejection and bullying and lack qualified professionals and the social support necessary. The research participants revealed a particular shortage of social workers’ services, organisation of children’s occupation, free therapy options, temporary respite services, and qualified specialists who would be ready to work with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Reducing Inappropriate Behaviors and Enhancing Social Skills in Children with ASD Through Social Stories

Teaching social skills is a challenging process due to the fact that each skill is difficult to motivate and reward and to the sheer number of skills that can be considered social skills and the infinite ways in which changes in the environment affect the perception of each skill. The most important step in the development of the social skills repertoire in children diagnosed with ASD consists in the occurrence of social desire. Therefore, the social environment must be implemented in a way that is attractive to the child. Many social skills are learned automatically in typical ABA/VB programs. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) seem to lack a desire to search for deeper causal links in their understanding of the world. Instead, they remember predictable routines (for example, brushing their teeth) and processing information at the surface level. This leads to a fragmented and superficial understanding of the environment, although they can remember much about it. Children with ASD face difficulties in achieving social contexts in the sense of other people's behavior, because it relies on understanding their intentions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a Social Story as an intervention used to reduce maladaptive behavior and to enhance social skills in 3 children diagnosed with ASD.

Status Quo and Advanced Progress in Oral Health Care and Treatment of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Literatiure Review.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has become one of the fastest growing diseases in the world, causing a great burden to ASD children's families and society. Children with ASD face more disadvantages relating to their oral health than those without ASD. There is a positive correlation between prevalence of caries lesions and severity of ASD. Poorer oral hygiene, higher detection rates of dental calculus and far more frequent cases of gingivitis occur in children with ASD. Traumatic injuries and various types of malocclusions are more frequent in children with ASD. Poorer oral health care and treatment status are caused by multiple adverse factors. Ways of promoting effective oral health care and treatment include pretreatment counselling; improvement of the individualised treatment environment; routine behaviour guidance techniques (BGTs) including tell-show-do, distraction, role model presentation, voice control, visual education and social stories, encouragement and reinforcement; targeted BGTs including visual education, behaviour modelling, applied behaviour analysis (ABA) and systematic desensitisation; passive BGTs including protective restraint, pharmaceutically administrated sedation and general anaesthesia; oral health education for guardians; and interdisciplinary collaboration and professional dental care/treatment. Dentists, families with children with ASD and schools should cooperate to improve family-centred oral health care and treatment for ASD children not only in China, but also the whole world.

Barriers and facilitators faced by individuals with intellectual disabilities and/or autism when accessing primary healthcare.

Individuals with intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorder experience healthcare inequalities and have more unmet healthcare needs than the general population. Despite this, there is a sparsity of literature exploring the views of individuals with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disability. This article summarises and evaluates an integrated review that explores the barriers and facilitators those with intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorder face when accessing primary healthcare.

THỰC TRẠNG KHÓ KHĂN VÀ NHU CẦU CẦN TRỢ GIÚP CỦA GIA ĐÌNH TRẺ RỐI LOẠN PHỔ TỰ KỈ

The article analyzes the current situation of difficulties and needs for help of the families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study was conducted on 43 families with children with an autism spectrum disorder in 03 areas: Hanoi, Quang Ngai, and Ho Chi Minh City. Research results show that families of children with autism spectrum disorder face many difficulties in the process of caring for and raising children with ASD, focusing on the following issues: Difficulties in communicating and interacting with children; difficulties in mobilizing all resources to support children; difficulties in finding information about children with autism, interventions, and therapies for children; difficulties in choosing an intervention and learning facility for their children; financial difficulties; difficulties in daily care and nurturing; difficulty sharing information about a child with autism with others; difficulties in accepting the fact that children have autism. From the above difficulties, families of ASD need help in almost all areas, notably the need for low subsidies, access to services, and professional training,... From the above difficulties, families with children with ASD need help in almost all areas, notably the need for subsidies, access to services, professional training, v.v...

TỔ CHỨC HOẠT ĐỘNG GIÁO DỤC STEAM CHO TRẺ RỐI LOẠN PHỔ TỰ KỈ 4-5 TUỔI TRONG LỚP MẪU GIÁO HÒA NHẬP

Children with autism spectrum disorder face many difficulties in the learning and playing process due to impairments in communication, social interaction, and limited behaviors and interests. STEAM education is identified as one of the main educational trends in the 21st century. STEAM education brings many benefits to preschool children in general and children with an autism spectrum disorder in particular. This article analyzes some theoretical and practical issues on the organization of STEAM activities for children with autism spectrum disorder aged 4-5 years in inclusive kindergarten classes. On that basis, give some suggestions for teachers when organizing STEAM education activities for children with an autism spectrum disorder in inclusive kindergarten classes in order to help them overcome difficulties and promote their full potential, creating a positive inclusive environment.

Perceptions of autism spectrum disorder among the Swahili community on the Kenyan coast

BackgroundIn high-income and Western societies there is great understanding and awareness of autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, for many low-middle income countries, research and knowledge is notably lacking. In Africa, there is a growing prevalence of ASD due to increased diagnosis, yet it is still a poorly understood condition. AimsEmerging literature has emphasised how cultural and societal beliefs underpin the level of understanding of ASD, and which typically results in lack of awareness and acceptance. As such it is important to investigate the cultural perceptions towards ASD within low-middle income communities of African culture, to further understand the challenges and barriers individuals with ASD face. The aim of the current study was to probe participants from the Swahili community, on the coast of Kenya, of their cultural views towards ASD. MethodSemi-structured interviews were conducted with seven participants, and the data analysed using thematic analysis. ResultsThree key themes developed from the data; stigma, lack of awareness, and Government responsibility. ConclusionCultural perceptions negatively impacted awareness and are exacerbated by lack of directive from the Government in providing appropriate diagnostic and educational support.

High-level visual search in children with autism.

Visual search has been classified as easy feature search, with rapid target detection and little set size dependence, versus slower difficult search with focused attention, with set size–dependent speed. Reverse hierarchy theory attributes these classes to rapid high cortical-level vision at a glance versus low-level vision with scrutiny, attributing easy search to high-level representations. Accordingly, faces “pop out” of heterogeneous object photographs. Individuals with autism have difficulties recognizing faces, and we now asked if this disability disturbs their search for faces. We compare search times and set size slopes for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and those with neurotypical development (NT) when searching for faces. Human face targets were found rapidly, with shallow set size slopes. The between-group difference between slopes (18.8 vs. 11.3 ms/item) is significant, suggesting that faces may not “pop out” as easily, but in our view does not warrant classifying ASD face search as categorically different from that of NT children. We also tested search for different target categories, dog and lion faces, and nonface basic categories, cars and houses. The ASD group was generally a bit slower than the NT group, and their slopes were somewhat steeper. Nevertheless, the overall dependencies on target category were similar: human face search fastest, nonface categories slowest, and dog and lion faces in between. We conclude that autism may spare vision at a glance, including face detection, despite its reported effects on face recognition, which may require vision with scrutiny. This dichotomy is consistent with the two perceptual modes suggested by reverse hierarchy theory.

School Challenges and Services Related to Executive Functioning for Fully Included Middle Schoolers with Autism.

The educational services available for fully included middle schoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the general education setting are not well known. Even less is known about how the executive functioning (EF) deficits of such youth are addressed in the classroom. The current study sought to identify the challenges, including EF, that middle schoolers with ASD face and the services that they receive on their Individualized Education Program (IEP), and also explore specific strategies used to build EF skills at school. A convenience data sample was obtained from focus groups with educational personnel (n = 15), and qualitative analyses of IEPs were conducted in middle schoolers with ASD with EF deficits (n = 23). Results confirmed that social communication and EF challenges are common. Multiple services and accommodations were identified, although EF challenges were rarely targeted on IEPs. Factors that may facilitate the success of EF strategies in the classroom are discussed.

Water-Based Exercise Therapy And Improvement In The Motor Skills And Cognitive Function Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Commentary

Background — Motor and cognitive dysfunction are common impairments experienced by children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Objective: The main aim of this study was to present suggestions for the incorporation of water-based exercises in rehabilitation for the children with ASD. Methods — Researchers collected the current available data regarding novel methods of water-based exercise therapy for the children with ASD to address motor and cognitive function. Results — Children with a diagnosis of ASD face a number of common challenges that may be addressed by the utilization of aquatic therapy in their rehabilitation plan. Challenges commonly experienced by children with ASD may be addressed by properties of water and aquatic therapies. Presently, aquatic therapy is an underutilized resource as an intervention in the population of children with ASD. Conclusions — Water-based interventions is currently underutilized as a therapeutic intervention should be considered for individuals with a diagnosis of ASD.

Distinct neurocognitive bases for social trait judgments of faces in autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by difficulties in social processes, interactions, and communication. Yet, the neurocognitive bases underlying these difficulties are unclear. Here, we triangulated the ‘trans-diagnostic’ approach to personality, social trait judgments of faces, and neurophysiology to investigate (1) the relative position of autistic traits in a comprehensive social-affective personality space, and (2) the distinct associations between the social-affective personality dimensions and social trait judgment from faces in individuals with ASD and neurotypical individuals. We collected personality and facial judgment data from a large sample of online participants (N = 89 self-identified ASD; N = 307 neurotypical controls). Factor analysis with 33 subscales of 10 social-affective personality questionnaires identified a 4-dimensional personality space. This analysis revealed that ASD and control participants did not differ significantly along the personality dimensions of empathy and prosociality, antisociality, or social agreeableness. However, the ASD participants exhibited a weaker association between prosocial personality dimensions and judgments of facial trustworthiness and warmth than the control participants. Neurophysiological data also indicated that ASD participants had a weaker association with neuronal representations for trustworthiness and warmth from faces. These results suggest that the atypical association between social-affective personality and social trait judgment from faces may contribute to the social and affective difficulties associated with ASD.

Shared and Distinct Patterns of Functional Connectivity to Emotional Faces in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Children

Impairments in emotional face processing are demonstrated by individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which is associated with altered emotion processing networks. Despite accumulating evidence of high rates of diagnostic overlap and shared symptoms between ASD and ADHD, functional connectivity underpinning emotion processing across these two neurodevelopmental disorders, compared to typical developing peers, has rarely been examined. The current study used magnetoencephalography to investigate whole-brain functional connectivity during the presentation of happy and angry faces in 258 children (5–19 years), including ASD, ADHD and typically developing (TD) groups to determine possible differences in emotion processing. Data-driven clustering was also applied to determine whether the patterns of connectivity differed among diagnostic groups. We found reduced functional connectivity in the beta band in ASD compared to TD, and a further reduction in the ADHD group compared to the ASD and the TD groups, across emotions. A group-by-emotion interaction in the gamma frequency band was also observed. Greater connectivity to happy compared to angry faces was found in the ADHD and TD groups, while the opposite pattern was seen in ASD. Data-driven subgrouping identified two distinct subgroups: NDD-dominant and TD-dominant; these subgroups demonstrated emotion- and frequency-specific differences in connectivity. Atypicalities in specific brain networks were strongly correlated with the severity of diagnosis-specific symptoms. Functional connectivity strength in the beta network was negatively correlated with difficulties in attention; in the gamma network, functional connectivity strength to happy faces was positively correlated with adaptive behavioural functioning, but in contrast, negatively correlated to angry faces. Our findings establish atypical frequency- and emotion-specific patterns of functional connectivity between NDD and TD children. Data-driven clustering further highlights a high degree of comorbidity and symptom overlap between the ASD and ADHD children.

Visual scanning and recognition of ambiguous faces in children with autism: The effects of morphing levels and facial identities

Background and aimPrior work on face processing in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has mainly focused on the investigation of unfamiliar faces. The present study aimed to extend earlier research by the inclusion of the different faces with varying levels of perceptual difficulty. MethodsWe employed eye-tracking and morphing techniques to measure face recognition involving identification of face morphs and to record eye movements during the task. Three groups of children participated in the study, comprising 24 with ASD (aged from 4 to 7 years), 25 verbal IQ (VQ)-matched typical developing (TD) controls (aged from 3 to 4 years), and 25 chronological age (CA)-matched TD controls (aged from 4 to 6 years). ResultsThe group-difference was specific for morphed unknown faces – ASD children had a decreased judgement of unknown faces and showed a lower specificity. Concurrent eye-tracking further provided mechanistic insights: the ASD group exhibited a significant reduction in eye-region fixation when recognizing ambiguous unknown faces, relative to both TD groups. ConclusionThe current study provides evidence of a selective difficulty in the identification of unknown faces in ASD when the perceptual demand increased, without atypicality in self and familiar face processing. Reduced attention and social interest may be responsible for difficulties in response to stranger faces in young ASD children, rather than a consequence of inability.