Dyadic Synchrony and Responsiveness in the First Year: Associations with Autism Risk

Micro-Analyses Reveal Increased Parent-Child Positive Affect in Children with Poorer Adaptive Functioning Receiving the ESDM

Synchronous positive affect (SPA) is a key element of parent-child interaction quality which is related to favorable developmental outcomes. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their parents tend to show less SPA compared to other populations. The current study explored changes in SPA made by parents and their children with ASD following the Preschool-Based Early Start Denver Model (PB-ESDM) intervention. Thirty children receiving PB-ESDM and 23 receiving treatment-as-usual (TAU) were assessed pre- and post- intervention using microanalysis of video-recorded parent-child interactions, in which SPA was quantified. Results showed a significant increase in SPA among children receiving PB-ESDM who had lower pre-treatment adaptive functioning. These findings suggest that SPA may serve as a sensitive treatment outcome measure for children with poorer adaptive functioning, who often struggle to show significant changes on standardized measures. The study's modest sample and non-randomized design are noted as limitations.

Parent-infant interaction trajectories in infants with an elevated likelihood for autism in relation to 3-year clinical outcome

Developmental antecedents of autism may affect parent-infant interactions (PII), altering the context in which core social skills develop. While studies have identified differences in PII between infants with and without elevated likelihood (EL) for autism, samples have been small. Here, we examined whether previously reported differences are replicable. From a longitudinal study of 113 EL and 27 typical likelihood infants (TL), 6-min videotaped unstructured PII was blind rated at 8 and 14 months on eight interactional qualities. Autism outcome was assessed at 36 months. Linear mixed-effects models found higher parent sensitive responsiveness, nondirectiveness, and mutuality ratings in TL than EL infants with and without later autism. PII qualities at 8 (infant positive affect, parent directiveness) and 14 months (infant attentiveness to parent, mutuality) predicted 3-year autism. Attentiveness to parent decreased between 8 and 14 months in EL infants with later autism. This larger study supports previous findings of emerging alterations in PII in this group and extends on this by detecting earlier (8-month) predictive effects of PII for autism outcome and a more marked trajectory of decreased social attentiveness. The findings strengthen the evidence base to support the implementation of early preemptive interventions to support PII in infants with early autism signs.

Automated Video Tracking of Autistic Children's Movement During Caregiver-Child Interaction: An Exploratory Study

Objective, quantitative measures of caregiver-child interaction during play are needed to complement caregiver or examiner ratings for clinical assessment and tracking intervention responses. In this exploratory study, we examined the feasibility of using automated video tracking, Noldus EthoVision XT, to measure 159 2-to-7-year-old autistic children's patterns of movement during play-based, caregiver-child interactions and examined their associations with standard clinical measures and human observational coding of caregiver-child joint engagement. Results revealed that autistic children who exhibited higher durations and velocity of movement were, on average, younger, had lower cognitive abilities, greater autism-related features, spent less time attending to the caregiver, and showed lower levels of joint engagement. After adjusting for age and nonverbal cognitive abilities, we found that children who remained in close proximity to their caregiver were more likely to engage in joint engagement that required support from the caregiver. These findings suggest that video tracking offers promise as a scalable, quantitative, and relevant measure of autism-related behaviors.

Are Maternal Self-Reports of Social Difficulties Apparent in Interactions with their Children?

To inform parent-mediated intervention models, this study assessed if family affectedness (i.e., elevated autism symptoms in more than one child) was associated with maternal self-reported social difficulties (as indexed by the Social Responsiveness Scale; SRS-2), and social interactions during play. As part of a prospective study, 71 mothers completed the SRS-2 and a play session. Interactions were coded for a range of prosocial behaviors, including gaze, positive affect, and vocalizations. Overall, mothers with multiple children exhibiting autism symptoms self-reported significantly more social difficulties on the SRS-2, when compared to mothers raising only typically developing children, or one child with autism. However, even with elevated SRS-2 scores, mothers with higher family affectedness demonstrated comparable social exchanges with their children during play.

How and Why People Synchronize: An Integrated Perspective

Academic AbstractInterpersonal synchrony, the alignment of behavior and/or physiology during interactions, is a pervasive phenomenon observed in diverse social contexts. Here we synthesize across contexts and behaviors to classify the different forms and functions of synchrony. We provide a concise framework for classifying the manifold forms of synchrony along six dimensions: periodicity, discreteness, spatial similarity, directionality, leader-follower dynamics, and observability. We also distill the various proposed functions of interpersonal synchrony into four interconnected functions: reducing complexity and improving understanding, accomplishing joint tasks, strengthening social connection, and influencing partners' behavior. These functions derive from first principles, emerge from each other, and are accomplished by some forms of synchrony more than others. Effective synchrony flexibly adapts to social goals and more synchrony is not always better. Our synthesis offers a shared framework and language for the field, allowing for better cross-context and cross-behavior comparisons, generating new hypotheses, and highlighting future research directions.

Sensory Reactivity of Infants at Elevated Likelihood of Autism and Associations with Caregiver Responsiveness

Infants at elevated likelihood of developing autism display differences in sensory reactivity, especially hyporeactivity, as early as 7 months of age, potentially contributing to a developmental cascade of autism symptoms. Caregiver responsiveness, which has been linked to positive social communication outcomes, has not been adequately examined with regard to infant sensory reactivity. This study examined the multiplicative impact of infant sensory hypo- and hyperreactivity on caregiver responsiveness to sensory reactivity and regulation cues in 43 infants at elevated likelihood of autism. Sensory hyperreactivity was found to moderate the association between sensory hyporeactivity and caregiver responsiveness, such that caregivers of infants with moderately high sensory hypo- and hyperreactivity demonstrated higher responsiveness.

Caregiver-child interaction as an effective tool for identifying autism spectrum disorder: evidence from EEG analysis

BACKGROUND

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that affects individuals across their lifespan. Early diagnosis and intervention are crucial for improving outcomes. However, current diagnostic methods are often time-consuming, and costly, making them inaccessible to many families. In the current study, we aim to test caregiver-child interaction as a potential tool for screening children with ASD in clinic.

METHODS

We enrolled 85 preschool children (Mean age: 4.90 ± 0.65 years, 70.6% male), including ASD children with or without developmental delay (DD), and typical development (TD) children, along with their caregivers. ASD core symptoms were evaluated by Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Calibrated Severity Scores (ADOS-CSS). Behavioral indicators were derived from video encoding of caregiver-child interaction, including social involvement of children (SIC), interaction time (IT), response of children to social cues (RSC), time for caregiver initiated social interactions (GIS) and time for children initiated social interactions (CIS)). Power spectral density (PSD) values were calculated by EEG signals simultaneously recorded. Partial Pearson correlation analysis was used in both ASD groups to investigate the correlation among behavioral indicators scores and ASD symptom severity and PSD values. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to describe the discrimination accuracy of behavioral indicators.

RESULTS

Compared to TD group, both ASD groups demonstrated significant lower scores of SIC, IT, RSC, CIS (all p values < 0.05), and significant higher time for GIS (all p values < 0.01). SIC scores negatively correlated with CARS (p = 0.006) and ADOS-CSS (p = 0.023) in the ASD with DD group. Compared to TD group, PSD values elevated in ASD groups (all p values < 0.05), and was associated with SIC (theta band: p = 0.005; alpha band: p = 0.003) but not IQ levels. SIC was effective in identifying both ASD groups (sensitivity/specificity: ASD children with DD, 76.5%/66.7%; ASD children without DD, 82.6%/82.2%).

CONCLUSION

Our results verified the behavioral paradigm of caregiver-child interaction as an efficient tool for early ASD screening.

A Social Turn-Taking, Parent Mediated Learning Intervention for a Young Child with Autism: Findings of a Pilot Telehealth Study

Social turn taking, a preverbal social communication competency often difficult for young children with autism, may be foundational to joint attention when included as a component of interventions for children with autism. In this study, social turn-taking was promoted through a parent mediated learning approach to intervention in a telehealth setting. Following a mixed-methods design, the present study explored the results of this new intervention model for a toddler with autism. The study also sought to understand any changes in the parent-child relationship because of the intervention. Findings indicate that the intervention supported the child's social communication competencies, including social turn-taking, joint attention, and facial focusing. Qualitative data revealed improvements in the parent-child relationship. These preliminary results lend support for promoting social turn-taking in interventions for children with autism, as well as for following developmental, parent-driven approaches to intervention. Studies with larger sample sizes are needed to understand these findings further. Implications for practice and research in early intervention are presented.

Prediction of autism in infants: progress and challenges

Autism spectrum disorder (henceforth autism) is a neurodevelopmental condition that can be reliably diagnosed in children by age 18-24 months. Prospective longitudinal studies of infants aged 1 year and younger who are later diagnosed with autism are elucidating the early developmental course of autism and identifying ways of predicting autism before diagnosis is possible. Studies that use MRI, EEG, and near-infrared spectroscopy have identified differences in brain development in infants later diagnosed with autism compared with infants without autism. Retrospective studies of infants younger than 1 year who received a later diagnosis of autism have also showed an increased prevalence of health conditions, such as sleep disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, and vision problems. Behavioural features of infants later diagnosed with autism include differences in attention, vocalisations, gestures, affect, temperament, social engagement, sensory processing, and motor abilities. Although research findings offer insight on promising screening approaches for predicting autism in infants, individual-level predictions remain a future goal. Multiple scientific challenges and ethical questions remain to be addressed to translate research on early brain-based and behavioural predictors of autism into feasible and reliable screening tools for clinical practice.

Parent-child interaction and developmental outcomes in children with typical and elevated likelihood of autism

BACKGROUND

Early parent-child interactions have a critical impact on the developmental outcomes of the child. It has been reported that infants with a family history of autism and their parents may engage in different patterns of behaviours during interaction compared to those without a family history of autism. This study investigated the association of parent-child interactions with child developmental outcomes of those with typical and elevated likelihood of autism.

METHOD

This longitudinal study investigated the relationship between global attributes of parent-child interaction and the developmental outcomes of infant siblings with elevated likelihood (EL: n = 29) or typical likelihood (TL: n = 39) of developing autism. Parent-child interactions were recorded during a session of free-play when the infants were six months of age. Developmental assessments were carried out when the children were 12 and 24 months of age.

RESULTS

The intensity of mutuality was significantly higher in the TL group than in the EL group, and developmental outcomes were poorer in the EL group when compared to the TL group. Positive associations between parent-child interaction scores at six months and developmental outcomes at 12 months were observed only in the TL group. However, in the EL group, higher levels of infant positive affect and attentiveness paid to the caregiver is associated with lower autism symptoms. Due to the sample size and design of the study, the findings must be viewed as indicative.

CONCLUSION

This preliminary investigation demonstrated differences in the association between parent-child interaction quality and developmental outcomes for children with typical and elevated likelihood for autism. Future studies should combine micro-analytic and macro-analytic approaches to parent-child interaction to further examine the nature of this relationship.

Parent-to-Child Anxiety Transmission Through Dyadic Social Dynamics: A Dynamic Developmental Model

The intergenerational transmission of psychopathology is one of the strongest known risk factors for childhood disorder and may be a malleable target for prevention and intervention. Anxious parents have distinct parenting profiles that impact socioemotional development, and these parenting effects may result in broad alterations to the biological and cognitive functioning of their children. Better understanding the functional mechanisms by which parental risk is passed on to children can provide (1) novel markers of risk for socioemotional difficulties, (2) specific targets for intervention, and (3) behavioral and biological indices of treatment response. We propose a developmental model in which dyadic social dynamics serve as a key conduit in parent-to-child transmission of anxiety. Dyadic social dynamics capture the moment-to-moment interactions between parent and child that occur on a daily basis. In shaping the developmental trajectory from familial risk to actual symptoms, dyadic processes act on mechanisms of risk that are evident prior to, and in the absence of, any eventual disorder onset. First, we discuss dyadic synchrony or the moment-to-moment coordination between parent and child within different levels of analysis, including neural, autonomic, behavioral, and emotional processes. Second, we discuss how overt emotion modeling of distress is observed and internalized by children and later reflected in their own behavior. Thus, unlike synchrony, this is a more sequential process that cuts across levels of analysis. We also discuss maladaptive cognitive and affective processing that is often evident with increases in child anxiety symptoms. Finally, we discuss additional moderators (e.g., parent sex, child fearful temperament) that may impact dyadic processes. Our model is proposed as a conceptual framework for testing hypotheses regarding dynamic processes that may ultimately guide novel treatment approaches aimed at intervening on dyadically linked biobehavioral mechanisms before symptom onset.

The role of caregiver gestures and gesture-related responses of toddlers with autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by social communicative abnormalities. Deficits and delays in gestural communication are among the early deficits of ASD and also a major social modality in early caregiver-toddler interaction. Caregiver gestures have an important role in the cognitive and social development of children with ASD. Thus, it is urgent to further explore the role of caregiver gestures in early caregiver-toddler interaction. In this cross-sectional study, we observed the caregivers' gestures and responses of toddlers aged between 18 and 24 months during play (ASD = 44, TD = 29) and dining activities (ASD = 34, TD = 27). By observing the different frequencies and patterns of gestures by the caregiver-child interaction and the different proportions of children's responses to the caregiver's gestures, we found that, compared to caregivers of typically developing toddlers, caregivers of toddlers with ASD had fewer synchronized gestures and more unsynchronized gestures in the play activity and more supplementary gestures in dining activity. Toddlers with ASD produced more social responses to caregivers' synchronized gestures, whereas the use of synchronized gestures by the caregivers in caregiver-toddler interaction had a positive influence on social responses to toddlers with ASD. The findings suggest that effective use of gestures by caregivers during caregiver-toddler activities can improve children's social responses.

Bridging the gap between emotion and joint action

Our daily human life is filled with a myriad of joint action moments, be it children playing, adults working together (i.e., team sports), or strangers navigating through a crowd. Joint action brings individuals (and embodiment of their emotions) together, in space and in time. Yet little is known about how individual emotions propagate through embodied presence in a group, and how joint action changes individual emotion. In fact, the multi-agent component is largely missing from neuroscience-based approaches to emotion, and reversely joint action research has not found a way yet to include emotion as one of the key parameters to model socio-motor interaction. In this review, we first identify the gap and then stockpile evidence showing strong entanglement between emotion and acting together from various branches of sciences. We propose an integrative approach to bridge the gap, highlight five research avenues to do so in behavioral neuroscience and digital sciences, and address some of the key challenges in the area faced by modern societies.

Is Smiling the Key? Machine Learning Analytics Detect Subtle Patterns in Micro-Expressions of Infants with ASD

Time is a key factor to consider in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Detecting the condition as early as possible is crucial in terms of treatment success. Despite advances in the literature, it is still difficult to identify early markers able to effectively forecast the manifestation of symptoms. Artificial intelligence (AI) provides effective alternatives for behavior screening. To this end, we investigated facial expressions in 18 autistic and 15 typical infants during their first ecological interactions, between 6 and 12 months of age. We employed Openface, an AI-based software designed to systematically analyze facial micro-movements in images in order to extract the subtle dynamics of Social Smiles in unconstrained Home Videos. Reduced frequency and activation intensity of Social Smiles was computed for children with autism. Machine Learning models enabled us to map facial behavior consistently, exposing early differences hardly detectable by non-expert naked eye. This outcome contributes to enhancing the potential of AI as a supportive tool for the clinical framework.

Dyadic behavioral synchrony between behaviorally inhibited and non-inhibited peers is associated with concordance in EEG frontal Alpha asymmetry and Delta-Beta coupling

Behavioral synchrony during social interactions is foundational for the development of social relationships. Behavioral inhibition (BI), characterized by wariness to social novelty and increased anxiety, may influence how children engage in moment-to-moment behavioral synchrony. EEG-derived frontal Alpha asymmetry and Delta-Beta coupling reflect approach-avoidance behavior and emotion regulation, respectively. We examined the relation between intradyadic behavioral synchrony in energy levels and peer gaze, BI, and EEG measures (N = 136, 68 dyads, Mean_Age = 10.90 years) during unstructured and structured interactions. Energy levels were negatively synchronized when both children exhibited right Alpha asymmetry. If either child exhibited left Alpha asymmetry, the dyad exhibited more positive synchrony. Peer gaze was less synchronized during the unstructured task with left Alpha asymmetry. Greater positive Delta-Beta coupling in BI children was associated with more peer gaze synchrony. Peer gaze was asynchronous when BI children exhibited negative Delta-Beta coupling and their partner exhibited positive coupling.