A major study published in Nature Mental Health has found that the brains of autistic children process faces in a fundamentally different way from neurotypical children, and that this difference does not diminish with age. Using electroencephalography (EEG) and machine learning, researchers analyzed brain activity across the entire scalp in approximately 400 autistic children and found that the neural signals associated with seeing a face were less distinct than in neurotypical peers and did not become more specialized as the children grew older, suggesting face-processing differences may be an intrinsic feature of autism rather than a consequence of experience.
Scientists have long known that many autistic people tend to look at faces less often and may struggle to remember faces or interpret expressions. A new study led by researchers at the Yale Child Study Center offers the most detailed picture yet of the brain activity behind those differences, examining electrical signals from 128 electrodes placed around each child's scalp.
James McPartland, PhD, Harris Professor in the Child Study Center and director of the Center for Brain and Mind Health, said the work is the first to leverage the full information from an EEG recording to understand face perception in autism. “This is the first time we've leveraged the full volume of very rich information provided by an EEG recording to understand face perception and autism,” McPartland said.
The research used data from the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials (ABC-CT). Children viewed pictures of faces and everyday objects while EEG recorded their brain activity. Machine learning then determined whether the patterns could reveal what each child was looking at. Results showed brain activity gave a clearer indication of face viewing in neurotypical children than in autistic children.
“The neural activity that we measure at the scalp is just not as distinct in autistic children,” said first author Jason Griffin, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Houston, who worked on the study as a postdoctoral researcher in McPartland's laboratory.
In neurotypical children, the brain's response to faces became more specialised with age. Autistic children did not show the same pattern. “Their face-specific processing is not following the same trajectory,” Griffin said.
The findings also push back the timeline for when differences emerge. Earlier research had focused on a signal called the N170, which occurs about 170 milliseconds after seeing a face and is known to be delayed in autistic individuals. By analysing a wider time window, the researchers found evidence that differences begin even before that signal appears.
“But when you look at face processing through an approach that's more inclusive of the full temporal range of information, we're seeing that differences in autism occur even earlier,” McPartland said.
The study's authors caution that autism does not necessarily create difficulties requiring intervention; many neurodivergent people experience little or no impairment. However, for those who do struggle, McPartland noted the real-world impact: “Imagine navigating life when it's hard for you to perceive the information in another person's face, from navigating a playground to navigating a job interview.”
The patterns identified could eventually contribute to objective biological markers for autism, which is currently diagnosed primarily through behaviour. Because the differences appear during development, early support focused on interpreting facial emotions might prove especially helpful, the researchers said.
“When we're seeing this expected refinement and specialization in non-autistic people, we're seeing a reduced developmental change in autistic people,” McPartland said.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The findings suggest face-processing differences in autism are intrinsic to brain development, not merely a learned response, which could shift how clinicians and educators understand and support autistic children.
- They point toward potential EEG-based biomarkers that could eventually make autism diagnosis more objective and help distinguish subgroups within the spectrum.
- Understanding the early time course of these differences may lead to more effective, earlier interventions for those autistic children who do experience social difficulties.
Background
Previous studies, notably a Yale report from the early 2000s, found reduced activity in face-processing brain regions in autistic individuals. Much research has since focused on the N170 signal, a brain wave that occurs about 170 milliseconds after seeing a face and tends to be delayed in autistic people. Most earlier EEG studies examined only a few electrodes. The new study is among the first to analyse signals from all 128 electrodes simultaneously and to track development across age groups.
Key Perspectives
James McPartland, PhD (Yale): Said the study is the first to use the full EEG recording to understand face perception in autism, and that differences in autism occur earlier than previously thought when a broader temporal range is considered. He emphasised that reduced developmental change is observed in autistic people compared with the refinement seen in neurotypical individuals.
Jason Griffin, PhD (University of Houston): Said the neural activity measured at the scalp is just not as distinct in autistic children, and that face-specific processing in autistic children does not follow the same trajectory of age-related specialisation seen in neurotypical children.
What to Watch
- Whether the EEG patterns identified can be replicated in larger, more diverse samples and whether they correlate with real-world face-recognition difficulties.
- Any moves by researchers or clinicians to incorporate broader EEG analysis into diagnostic protocols for autism.
- Potential early-intervention trials that use these findings to test whether support aimed at interpreting facial emotions is more effective when introduced at younger ages.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 8 supported.
Show each claim
- Partly supportedThe headline says autistic children show distinct face-processing patterns that are age-independent.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “In neurotypical children, the brain's response to faces became more specialized with age, while autistic children did not show the same pattern.”
- Partly supportedThe summary says the EEG analysis involved 400 children.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “McPartland and his colleagues conducted a study involving approximately 400 autistic children”
- Partly supportedThe opening says autistic children's face processing is fundamentally different and that the difference does not diminish with age.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “They discovered that brain activity associated with face recognition was less clearly distinguishable in autistic participants. They also identified a striking difference in development: In neurotypical children, the brain's response to faces became more specialized with age, while autistic children did not show the same pattern.”
- SupportedMcPartland said, “This is the first time we've leveraged the full volume of very rich information provided by an EEG recording to understand face perception and autism.”Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: ““This is the first time we've leveraged the full volume of very rich information provided by an EEG recording to understand face perception and autism,” McPartland says.”
- Not in the sourcesThe study was led by researchers at the Yale Child Study Center.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “James McPartland, PhD, Harris Professor in the Child Study Center and director of the Center for Brain and Mind Health, studies how autistic people process faces”
- SupportedThe study examined signals from 128 electrodes around each child's scalp.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “the scientists examined electrical signals from all 128 electrodes positioned around each participant's scalp.”
- SupportedGriffin said, “The neural activity that we measure at the scalp is just not as distinct in autistic children.”Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: ““The neural activity that we measure at the scalp is just not as distinct in autistic children,” says first author Jason Griffin, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at University of Houston.”
- SupportedGriffin said, “Their face-specific processing is not following the same trajectory.”Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: ““Their face-specific processing is not following the same trajectory,” Griffin says.”
- SupportedThe researchers found evidence that face-processing differences begin before the N170 signal appears, which typically occurs about 170 milliseconds after seeing a face.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “By analyzing brain activity over a wider period, the researchers found evidence that differences in face processing begin before this familiar signal appears. This measurable change in electrical activity typically occurs about 170 milliseconds after a person sees a face.”
- SupportedMcPartland said, “But when you look at face processing through an approach that's more inclusive of the full temporal range of information, we're seeing that differences in autism occur even earlier.”Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: ““But when you look at face processing through an approach that's more inclusive of the full temporal range of information, we're seeing that differences in autism occur even earlier,” McPartland says.”
- SupportedMcPartland said, “Imagine navigating life when it's hard for you to perceive the information in another person's face, from navigating a playground to navigating a job interview.”Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: ““Imagine navigating life when it's hard for you to perceive the information in another person's face, from navigating a playground to navigating a job interview,” McPartland says.”
- SupportedThe identified patterns could contribute to biological markers for autism, and support helping children interpret facial emotions might be particularly beneficial earlier in childhood.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “The newly identified patterns of face related brain activity could contribute to that effort.”