Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40885894›Full record

Observational studyJournal of neurodevelopmental disorders2025

Face perception, attention, and memory as predictors of social change in autistic children.

Sara Jane Webb, Brian Kwan, Raphael Bernier, Katarzyna Charwarska, Geraldine Dawson, James Dziura, Susan Faja, Gerhard Hellmann, Shafali Jeste, Natalia Kleinhans and 8 more

Abstract readMulticenter StudyObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors.

Sara Jane WebbCenter On Child Health, Behavior, & Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA. sara.webb@seattlechildrens.org.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4101-6255
Brian KwanCalifornia State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, USA.
Raphael BernierDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.
Katarzyna CharwarskaYale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA.
Geraldine DawsonDuke Center for Autism and Brain Development, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
James DziuraDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
Susan FajaBoston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Gerhard HellmannDepartment of Public Health, University of Alabama Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Shafali JesteDepartment of Neurology, Children's Hospital of LA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Natalia KleinhansInstitute of Human Development and Disability, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.
April LevinBoston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Adam NaplesYale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA.
Maura Sabatos-DeVitoDuke Center for Autism and Brain Development, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Damla ŞentürkDepartment of Biostatistics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Frederick ShicDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.
Catherine SugarDepartment of Biostatistics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
James C McPartlandYale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA. james.mcpartland@yale.edu.
Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials

Funding

The Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical TrialsU19MH108206 · NIMH · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI KLEINHANS, NATALIA M · 2015 to 2024
$68.8M
Mechanisms of Brain Dysmorphology in MN1 C-Terminal Truncation Syndrome, a Novel Intellectual Developmental Disability Disorder P50HD103524 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI Sandra E Juul · 2020 to 2026
$9.9M
UCLA IDDRC: Translational CoreP50HD103557 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI Peyman Golshani, SUMA JACOB · 2020 to 2026
$9.6M
Genetic Analysis and Manipulation Core (GAEC)P50HD105351 · NICHD · BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · PI Hisashi Umemori · 2021 to 2026
$9.4M
NICHD NIH HHS P50HD103524NICHD NIH HHS P50HD103557NICHD NIH HHS P50HD105351NIMH NIH HHS U19MH108206
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveSocial perception and attention markers have been identified that, on average, differentiate autistic from non-autistic children. However, little is known about how these markers predict behavior over time at both short and long time intervals.

methodsWe conducted a large multisite, naturalistic study of 6- to 11-year-old children diagnosed with ASD (n = 214). We evaluated three markers of social processing: social perception via the ERP N170 Latency to Upright Faces; social attention via the Eye Tracking (ET) OMI (Oculomotor Index of Gaze to Human Faces) that captures percent looking to faces from three tasks; and social cognition via the NEPSY Face Memory task. Each was evaluated in predicting social ability and autistic social behaviors derived from parental interviews and questionnaires about child behavior at + 6 months (T3) and + 4 years (T4).

resultsAdjusting for baseline performance, time between measurements, age, and sex, our results suggest differential prognostic relations for each of the markers. The ERP N170 Latency to Upright Faces showed limited prognostic relations, with a significant relation to short term changes in face memory. The ET OMI was related to face memory over both short and long term. Both the ET OMI and Face Memory predicted long-term autistic social behavior scores.

conclusionsIn the context of a large-scale, rigorous evaluation of candidate markers for use in future clinical trials, our primary markers had significant but small-effect prognostic capability. The ET OMI and Face Memory showed significant long-term predictive relations, with increased visual attention to faces and better face memory at baseline related to increased social approach and decreased autistic social behaviors 4 years later.

Indexed as

AttentionAutism Spectrum DisorderFacial RecognitionMemorySocial BehaviorSocial PerceptionChildEvoked PotentialsFemaleHumansMaleASDBiomarkersERPEye trackingFace memorySocial attentionSocial cognitionSocial perception

Identifiers

PMID40885894
PMCPMC12398159

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.