SynthesisFrontiers in human neuroscience2026
Art-based interventions and social-emotional outcomes in children with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis with a proposed neurodevelopmental framework.
Synthesis in Frontiers in human neuroscience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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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.
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Abstract
Emotional intelligence (EI)-related social-emotional difficulties in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are linked to atypical social-brain development, including altered amygdala-prefrontal, fusiform, and frontoparietal function during affective processing. This systematic review and meta-analysis quantified the effects of visual art-based interventions on EI and EI-related social-emotional outcomes in children with ASD, and integrated convergent neuroimaging evidence into a testable neurodevelopmental framework. Following PRISMA 2020, PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, ProQuest Dissertations, ClinicalTrials.gov, and gray literature were searched from inception to 31 December 2025, with an updated search on 15 May 2026 and a supplementary public-source update on 17 August 2026. Eligible studies included controlled, quasi-experimental, or pre-post visual art-based interventions lasting at least 4 weeks in children aged 3-18 years with clinically diagnosed ASD. Risk of bias was assessed using RoB 2.0 and ROBINS-I, and Hedges' g was pooled using random-effects models. Fourteen studies involving 521 participants aged 3-15 years across seven countries were included; 481 participants were children with autism spectrum disorder and 40 were typically developing comparison participants. Twelve studies used a control group and formed the basis of the primary analysis. Art-based interventions were associated with a small-to-moderate improvement in EI-related social-emotional outcomes (all studies:
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