The autistic brain processes faces differently than scientists thought

A major new study reveals that autistic children’s brains process faces differently, and those differences may begin earlier than scientists previously thought. Researchers found that brain signals associated with recognizing faces become more specialized as neurotypical children grow older, but show much less change in autistic children. The discovery could help explain why some autistic people have difficulty recognizing faces and reading emotions.

The autistic brain processes faces differently than scientists thought. Published in Nature Mental Health, the research is among the most extensive investigations yet into how face perception works in autism. Some autistic people tend to look at faces less frequently or make less eye contact.

They may also find it more difficult to remember faces or interpret facial expressions compared with neurotypical individuals. Scientists have spent decades investigating the brain activity behind these differences. In the early 2000s, for example, researchers at Yale reported that brain regions responsible for processing faces showed lower activity in autistic individuals than in people without autism.