The Dilemma and Strategies of Educational Intervention on the Plasticity of “Social Brain” in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Main Article Content
Keywords
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), social brain, neuroplasticity, educational intervention
Abstract
The core impairment in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) lies in impaired social interaction abilities, rooted in dysfunctions of the “social brain” -key brain regions including the medial prefrontal cortex, superior temporal sulcus, and amygdala. Current research confirms the social brain’s remarkable plasticity, providing a critical foundation for educational interventions. However, existing interventions for ASD children’s social brain plasticity face practical challenges: misaligned intervention targets with brain functions, inadequate personalized adaptation, lack of multi-scenario coordination, and oversimplified outcome evaluation. There is an urgent need to develop systematic intervention strategies tailored to educational practices. This study clarifies the developmental patterns of social brain plasticity in ASD children and proposes a four-in-one intervention framework: refined functional-targeted training, personalized tiered design, multi-scenario coordination mechanisms, and multidimensional closed-loop assessment. Theoretical advancements strengthen the practical logic chain from social brain plasticity to special education interventions, enriching applied research in special education. Practically, it provides actionable intervention solutions for teachers and parents, fostering coordinated development of ASD children’s social skills and social brain functions.
References
- Adolphs, R., (2009). The Social Brain: Neural Basis of Social Knowledge. Annual Review of Psychology, vol. 60, pp. 693-716.
- American Psychiatric Association, (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, (5th ed.) Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.
- Battro, A. M., Fischer, K. W. and Léna, P. J., (2008). The Educated Brain: Essays in Neuroeducation, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Bauman, M. L. and Kemper, T. L., (2005). Neuroanatomic observations of the brain in autism: a review and future directions. International journal of developmental neuroscience, vol. 23, no. 2-3, pp. 183-187.
- Brothers, L., (1990). The social brain: A project for integrating primate behavior and neurophysiology in a new domain. Concepts in Neuroscience, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 27-51.
- Calderwood, B., (2023). Intervention in Education | Definition, Strategies & Examples [Online]. Study.com. Available: https://study.com/academy/lesson/interventions-in-education-definition-examples.html [Accessed 7 December 2025].
- Chen, W., Ding, J. and Chen, Q. l., (2008). Twenty Years of Social Brain Research: Retrospect and Prospect. Journal of Northwest Normal University (Social Sciences Edition), vol. 45, no. 6, pp. 84-89.
- Dawson, G., Jones, E. J. H., Merkle, K., Venema, K., Lowy, R., Faja, S., Kamara, D., Murias, M., Greenson, J., Winter, J., Smith, M., Rogers, S. J. and Webb, S. J., (2012). Early Behavioral Intervention Is Associated With Normalized Brain Activity in Young Children With Autism. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, vol. 51, no. 11, pp. 1150-1159.
- Fan, Z., Chang, J., Liang, Y., Zhu, H., Zhang, C., Zheng, D., Wang, J., Xu, Y., Li, Q.-J. and Hu, H., (2023). Neural mechanism underlying depressive-like state associated with social status loss. Cell, vol. 186, no. 3, pp. 560-576. e17.
- Hahamy, A., Behrmann, M. and Malach, R., (2015). The idiosyncratic brain: distortion of spontaneous connectivity patterns in autism spectrum disorder. Nature neuroscience, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 302-309.
- Hebb, D. O., (1949). The organization of behavior: A neuropsychological theory, New York: John Wiley & Sons.
- Heward, W. L., (2013). Exceptional children: An introduction to special education, New York: Pearson Education.
- Huang, A. X., Jia, M. and Wheeler, J. J., (2013). Children with autism in the People’s Republic of China: Diagnosis, legal issues, and educational services. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, vol. 43, no. 9, pp. 1991-2001.
- Huang, J., (2015). The Plasticity of Cognitive Neuroscience: Philosophical Implications of Hebb Theory. Philosophical Dynamics, no. 9, pp. 104-108.
- Kanner, L., (1943). Autistic disturbances of affective contact. Acta paedopsychiatrica, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 100-136.
- Kolb, B. and Gibb, R., (2011). Brain plasticity and behaviour in the developing brain. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 265-276.
- Kreidell, K. J. and Duell, N., (2023). When “peer pressure” is positive. vol. 11, p. 1108335.
- Lestrud, M., (2021). Encyclopedia of autism spectrum disorders, New York: Springer.
- Liu, Y., Zhang, D. and Luo, Y., (2013). The early development of infant social and emotional brain mechanisms. Scientific Bulletin, vol. 58, no. 9, pp. 753-761.
- Loth, E., Charman, T., Mason, L., Tillmann, J., Jones, E. J., Wooldridge, C., Ahmad, J., Auyeung, B., Brogna, C. and Ambrosino, S., (2017). The EU-AIMS Longitudinal European Autism Project (LEAP): design and methodologies to identify and validate stratification biomarkers for autism spectrum disorders. Molecular autism, vol. 8, no. 1, p. 24.
- Matsuzaki, M., Honkura, N., Ellis-Davies, G. C. and Kasai, H., (2004). Structural basis of long-term potentiation in single dendritic spines. Nature, vol. 429, no. 6993, pp. 761-766.
- Prizant, B. M., Wetherby, A. M., Rubin, E., Laurent, A. C. and Rydell, P. J., (2006). The SCERTS model: A comprehensive educational approach for children with autism spectrum disorders, Vol. 1, Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
- Shi, W. T., Zhang, Y. N., Li, X. S. and Lin, N., (2024). Neural basis of social concept representation and social semantic integration. Advances in Psychological Science, vol. 32, no. 02, pp. 276-286.
- Vivanti, G. and Dissanayake, C., (2018). Outcome measurement in autism spectrum disorder: Why we need a “social brain in the wild” agenda. Autism Research, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 428-437.
- Wang, Y., (2000). Analysis of the theoretical basis of early intervention. China Special Education, no. 4, pp. 3-5,38.
- Wong, C., Odom, S. L., Hume, K. A., Cox, A. W., Fettig, A., Kucharczyk, S., Brock, M. E., Plavnick, J. B., Fleury, V. P. and Schultz, T. R., (2015). Evidence-based practices for children, youth, and young adults with autism spectrum disorder: A comprehensive review. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, vol. 45, no. 7, pp. 1951-1966.
- Zhong, Y., Fan, W. and Zhang, D., (2011). Neural mechanisms of human social cognition: evidence from social brain research. Psychological Science, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 210-214.
- Zhou, N., (2013). Understanding and promoting the development of “social brain” in preschool children with ASD: Constructing an educational intervention model for the neuroplastic sensitive period. Journal of East China Normal University (Educational Science Edition), vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 49-55.
Article Sidebar
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.