Unveiling Face Recognition Challenges and Awareness in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Insights from the Italian Famous Face Test (IT-FFT)

Accurate face recognition is crucial for navigating social interactions. While neurotypical individuals generally show no issues with face processing, persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder (PwASD) often exhibit impairments in this area. This study explores the extent of these face recognition deficits in autistic adults, focusing on their ability to identify famous faces, along with the awareness (metacognition) of their face recognition skills. Using the Italian Famous Face Test (IT-FFT) and the Prosopagnosia Index-20 (PI-20), to compare face recognition performance and self-awareness of face recognition abilities between 50 neurotypical individuals (NTs) and 49 PwASD. Our results showed that PwASD had significantly lower face identification scores and greater difficulties recognizing famous faces than NT participants. Additionally, PwASD reported more face recognition challenges on the PI-20, highlighting their awareness of these deficits. These findings suggest that face recognition impairments in PwASD extend to famous faces and underscore the importance of further research to explore targeted interventions aimed at improving different aspects of face recognition processes in ASD.