Attention Modification to Attenuate Facial Emotion Recognition Deficits in Children with Autism: A Pilot Study.
Andrea Trubanova Wieckowski, Susan W White
PMID 31520245WHAT IT FOUND
Eight children with autism completed a brief attention-training program.
Eye-gaze to faces did not significantly change, and standardized emotion recognition scores showed no group improvement. Parents reported better social skills and fewer behavioral problems, but these were subjective measures.
Key findings
01Eye-tracking data showed no statistically significant increase in fixation duration to facial areas from the first to the last treatment session.
02Scores on the standardized NEPSY-II Affect Recognition subtest did not improve significantly for the group, with only one participant showing reliable change.
03Parents reported significant decreases in social impairment scores and improvements in emotion regulation, though these were subjective measures.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (n=8), limiting the generalizability of the findings. Most participants had average or above-average FER abilities at baseline, creating a ceiling effect that likely prevented detection of improvements on standardized tests. The study lacked a control group, so improvements reported by parents could be due to attention from being in a study or natural development rather than the intervention itself. There was no objective confirmation of FER deficits for inclusion; eligibility was based on parent report, which may not align with standardized test performance. The intervention did not include feedback on performance, making it difficult to determine if attentional training alone is sufficient for change.
Declared interests
The authors report no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this intervention improves facial emotion recognition. The primary standardized outcome showed no significant group change, and the hypothesized mechanism of increased eye-gaze to faces was not supported by the eye-tracking data. Parent-reported improvements were subjective and may reflect expectation bias or the Hawthorne effect rather than a specific therapeutic mechanism.