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Artis J, Arunachalam S. Semantic and Syntactic Properties of Words and the Receptive-Expressive Gap in Autistic and Non-Autistic Children. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2023; 66:1771-1791. [PMID: 37137280 PMCID: PMC10457093 DOI: 10.1044/2023_jslhr-22-00369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The goal of this work was to examine the semantic and syntactic properties of the vocabularies of autistic and non-autistic infants and toddlers to see if children in these two groups know different kinds of words. We focused on both receptive and expressive vocabularies. For expressive vocabulary, we looked only at the "active" lexicon: Of those words that are already in children's receptive vocabulary, we asked which ones they also produce. METHOD We used an existing data set of 346 parent report vocabulary checklists (MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory: Words and Gestures) from 41 autistic and 27 non-autistic children at multiple timepoints between the ages of 6 and 43 months. We coded the words on the checklists for various semantic and syntactic properties and evaluated which properties predicted whether children understood and produced those words. RESULTS Overall, we replicated a common finding that autistic children have smaller receptive vocabularies than non-autistic children, but we found that of the words they understand, autistic children produce a similar proportion of those words as non-autistic children. While we found that some syntactic properties are more or less likely to be represented in children's early vocabularies (e.g., nouns are more likely to be understood and produced than words that are not nouns), these patterns did not differ across autistic and non-autistic children. CONCLUSIONS The semantic and syntactic compositions of autistic and non-autistic children's vocabularies are similar. Thus, while receptive vocabularies are relatively smaller for autistic children, they do not appear to have specific difficulty with words that have particular syntactic or semantic properties, or with adding words to the expressive vocabulary that they already understand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonet Artis
- Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, New York University, NY
| | - Sudha Arunachalam
- Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, New York University, NY
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Pierce K, Wen TH, Zahiri J, Andreason C, Courchesne E, Barnes CC, Lopez L, Arias SJ, Esquivel A, Cheng A. Level of Attention to Motherese Speech as an Early Marker of Autism Spectrum Disorder. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e2255125. [PMID: 36753277 PMCID: PMC9909502 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.55125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Importance Caregivers have long captured the attention of their infants by speaking in motherese, a playful speech style characterized by heightened affect. Reduced attention to motherese in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be a contributor to downstream language and social challenges and could be diagnostically revealing. Objective To investigate whether attention toward motherese speech can be used as a diagnostic classifier of ASD and is associated with language and social ability. Design, Setting, and Participants This diagnostic study included toddlers aged 12 to 48 months, spanning ASD and non-ASD diagnostic groups, at a research center. Data were collected from February 2018 to April 2021 and analyzed from April 2021 to March 2022. Exposures Gaze-contingent eye-tracking test. Main Outcomes and Measures Using gaze-contingent eye tracking wherein the location of a toddler's fixation triggered a specific movie file, toddlers participated in 1 or more 1-minute eye-tracking tests designed to quantify attention to motherese speech, including motherese vs traffic (ie, noisy vehicles on a highway) and motherese vs techno (ie, abstract shapes with music). Toddlers were also diagnostically and psychometrically evaluated by psychologists. Levels of fixation within motherese and nonmotherese movies and mean number of saccades per second were calculated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate optimal fixation cutoff values and associated sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value. Within the ASD group, toddlers were stratified based on low, middle, or high levels of interest in motherese speech, and associations with social and language abilities were examined. Results A total of 653 toddlers were included (mean [SD] age, 26.45 [8.37] months; 480 males [73.51%]). Unlike toddlers without ASD, who almost uniformly attended to motherese speech with a median level of 82.25% and 80.75% across the 2 tests, among toddlers with ASD, there was a wide range, spanning 0% to 100%. Both the traffic and techno paradigms were effective diagnostic classifiers, with large between-group effect sizes (eg, ASD vs typical development: Cohen d, 1.0 in the techno paradigm). Across both paradigms, a cutoff value of 30% or less fixation on motherese resulted in an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.733 (95% CI, 0.693-0.773) and 0.761 (95% CI, 0.717-0.804), respectively; specificity of 98% (95% CI, 95%-99%) and 96% (95% CI, 92%-98%), respectively; and PPV of 94% (95% CI, 86%-98%). Reflective of heterogeneity and expected subtypes in ASD, sensitivity was lower at 18% (95% CI, 14%-22%) and 29% (95% CI, 24%-34%), respectively. Combining metrics increased the AUC to 0.841 (95% CI, 0.805-0.877). Toddlers with ASD who showed the lowest levels of attention to motherese speech had weaker social and language abilities. Conclusions and Relevance In this diagnostic study, a subset of toddlers showed low levels of attention toward motherese speech. When a cutoff level of 30% or less fixation on motherese speech was used, toddlers in this range were diagnostically classified as having ASD with high accuracy. Insight into which toddlers show unusually low levels of attention to motherese may be beneficial not only for early ASD diagnosis and prognosis but also as a possible therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Pierce
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla
| | - Teresa H. Wen
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla
| | - Javad Zahiri
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla
| | - Charlene Andreason
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla
| | - Eric Courchesne
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla
| | - Cynthia C. Barnes
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla
| | - Linda Lopez
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla
| | - Steven J. Arias
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla
| | - Ahtziry Esquivel
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla
| | - Amanda Cheng
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla
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Plate S, Yankowitz L, Resorla L, Swanson MR, Meera SS, Estes A, Marrus N, Cola M, Petrulla V, Faggen A, Pandey J, Paterson S, Pruett JR, Hazlett H, Dager S, John TS, Botteron K, Zwaigenbaum L, Piven J, Schultz RT, Parish-Morris J. Infant vocalizing and phenotypic outcomes in autism: Evidence from the first 2 years. Child Dev 2022; 93:468-483. [PMID: 34708871 PMCID: PMC9112828 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Infant vocalizations are early-emerging communicative markers shown to be atypical in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but few longitudinal, prospective studies exist. In this study, 23,850 infant vocalizations from infants at low (LR)- and high (HR)-risk for ASD (HR-ASD = 23, female = 3; HR-Neg = 35, female = 13; LR = 32, female = 10; 80% White; collected from 2007 to 2017 near Philadelphia) were analyzed at 6, 12, and 24 months. At 12 months, HR-ASD infants produced fewer vocalizations than HR-Neg infants. From 6 to 24 months, HR-Neg infants demonstrated steeper vocalization growth compared to HR-ASD and LR infants. Finally, among HR infants, vocalizing at 12 months was associated with language, social phenotype, and diagnosis at age 2. Infant vocalizing is an objective behavioral marker that could facilitate earlier detection of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Plate
- Center for Autism Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Lisa Yankowitz
- Center for Autism Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | | | | | - Annette Estes
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Natasha Marrus
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Meredith Cola
- Center for Autism Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Victoria Petrulla
- Center for Autism Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Aubrey Faggen
- Center for Autism Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Juhi Pandey
- Center for Autism Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Sarah Paterson
- The James S. McDonnel Foundation, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - John R. Pruett
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Heather Hazlett
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Stephen Dager
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Tanya St. John
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Kelly Botteron
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| | | | - Joseph Piven
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Robert T. Schultz
- Center for Autism Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Julia Parish-Morris
- Center for Autism Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Belteki Z, Lumbreras R, Fico K, Haman E, Junge C. The Vocabulary of Infants with an Elevated Likelihood and Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Infant Language Studies Using the CDI and MSEL. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19031469. [PMID: 35162492 PMCID: PMC8834732 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19031469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are typically accompanied by atypical language development, which can be noticeable even before diagnosis. The siblings of children diagnosed with ASD are at elevated likelihood for ASD diagnosis and have been shown to have higher prevalence rates than the general population. In this paper, we systematically reviewed studies looking at the vocabulary size and development of infants with autism. One inclusion criterion was that infants were grouped either pre-diagnostically as elevated or typical likelihood or post-diagnostically as ASD or without ASD. This review focused on studies that tested infants up to 24 months of age and that assessed vocabulary either via the parent-completed MacArthur–Bates Communicative Developmental Inventory (CDI) or the clinician-administered Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL). Our systematic search yielded 76 studies. A meta-analysis was performed on these studies that compared the vocabulary scores of EL and TL infants pre-diagnostically and the scores of ASD and non-ASD infants post-diagnostically. Both pre- and post-diagnostically, it was found that the EL and ASD infants had smaller vocabularies than their TL and non-ASD peers, respectively. The effect sizes across studies were heterogenous, prompting additional moderator analyses of age and sub-group analyses of the language measure used (CDI or MSEL) as potential moderators of the effect size. Age was found to be a moderator both in the pre- and post-diagnostical groups, however, language measure was not a moderator in either diagnostic group. Interpretations and future research directions are discussed based on these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zsofia Belteki
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands;
- Correspondence:
| | - Raquel Lumbreras
- Faculty of Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands;
| | - Kloe Fico
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, 6525 XZ Nijmegen, The Netherlands;
| | - Ewa Haman
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, 00-927 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Caroline Junge
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands;
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Cheng YL, Chu CL, Wu CC. How Do Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Children with Developmental Delays Differ on the Child Behavior Checklist 1.5–5 DSM-Oriented Scales? CHILDREN 2022; 9:children9010111. [PMID: 35053735 PMCID: PMC8774976 DOI: 10.3390/children9010111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The Child Behavior Checklist 1.5–5 (CBCL 1.5–5) is applied to identify emotional and behavioral problems on children with developmental disabilities (e.g., autism spectrum disorder [ASD] and developmental delays [DD]). To understand whether there are variations between these two groups on CBCL DSM-oriented scales, we took two invariance analyses on 443 children (228 children with ASD). The first analysis used measurement invariance and multiple-group factor analysis on the test structure. The second analysis used item-level analysis, i.e., differential item functioning (DIF), to discover whether group memberships responded differently on some items even though underlying trait levels were the same. It was discovered that, on the test structure, the Anxiety Problems scale did not achieve metric invariance. The other scales achieved metric invariance; DIF analyses further revealed that there were items that functioned differently across subscales. These DIF items were mostly about children’s reactions to the surrounding environment. Our findings provide implications for clinicians to use CBCL DSM-oriented scales on differentiating children with ASD and children with DD. In addition, researchers need to be mindful about how items were responded differently, even though there were no mean differences on the surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Ling Cheng
- Department of Psychology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807378, Taiwan;
| | - Ching-Lin Chu
- Department of Educational Psychology & Counseling, National Pingtung University, Pingtung 900391, Taiwan
- Correspondence: (C.-L.C.); (C.-C.W.)
| | - Chin-Chin Wu
- Department of Psychology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807378, Taiwan;
- Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807377, Taiwan
- Correspondence: (C.-L.C.); (C.-C.W.)
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Hart CM, Curtin S. Trajectories of Vocabulary Development in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Across Multiple Measures. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 53:1347-1362. [PMID: 34817769 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-05379-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
This longitudinal study examined how receptive and expressive vocabulary assessments capture vocabulary development in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) children. Using mixed regression modelling, we explored when children with ASD significantly different from TD children. We also examined the variability of individual trajectories of vocabulary development in children with ASD. Children with ASD showed slowed trajectories and significantly differed from TD children by 24 months on all assessments except for picture-based assessments. Children with ASD also showed high heterogeneity in trajectories, with some showing inconsistent patterns of growth, stagnation, and regression across assessments. This suggests that conclusions based on individual assessments of vocabulary can vary and assessment characteristics must be considered when monitoring vocabulary development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsie M Hart
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada. .,, Calgary, AB, T3G 4B5, Canada.
| | - Suzanne Curtin
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada.,Child and Youth Studies, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada
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7
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Lai PT, Ng R, Bellugi U. Parents' perspective on the social traits observed in school-age children with autism and children with Williams syndrome. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2021; 8:174-184. [PMID: 38868455 PMCID: PMC11168778 DOI: 10.1080/23297018.2021.1934893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
Individuals with autism spectrum disorders and those with Williams syndrome often have impairments in social behaviors. These two neurodevelopmental disorders are often reputed to be on the opposite ends of the social spectrum, with autistic individuals being socially avoidant and those with Williams syndrome highly social. Most research on children with autism and Williams syndrome has focused on preschool and younger school-age children. The current study assessed school-age children between the ages of 7-14 years with high-functioning autism, Williams syndrome, and neurotypical developing peers. Parents completed the Salk Institute Sociability Questionnaire and the Social Responsiveness Scale, to provide unique insights into social functioning and tap into different behavioral areas, social approach behaviors, and social responsiveness. This study provides additional evidence that young children with autism and Williams syndrome continue to show divergent social-behavioral tendencies at school-age, despite controlling for age and intellect. Results of this study better elucidate disparities as well as commonalities across school-age children with neurodevelopmental disorders and their typically developing peers, providing insight into everyday social functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip T. Lai
- Language and Communicative Disorders, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
- Language and Communicative Disorders, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
- Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Rowena Ng
- Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Ursula Bellugi
- Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
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Junge C, Boumeester M, Mills DL, Paul M, Cosper SH. Development of the N400 for Word Learning in the First 2 Years of Life: A Systematic Review. Front Psychol 2021; 12:689534. [PMID: 34276518 PMCID: PMC8277998 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.689534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The N400 ERP component is a direct neural index of word meaning. Studies show that the N400 component is already present in early infancy, albeit often delayed. Many researchers capitalize on this finding, using the N400 component to better understand how early language acquisition unfolds. However, variability in how researchers quantify the N400 makes it difficult to set clear predictions or build theory. Not much is known about how the N400 component develops in the first 2 years of life in terms of its latency and topographical distributions, nor do we know how task parameters affect its appearance. In the current paper we carry out a systematic review, comparing over 30 studies that report the N400 component as a proxy of semantic processing elicited in infants between 0 and 24 months old who listened to linguistic stimuli. Our main finding is that there is large heterogeneity across semantic-priming studies in reported characteristics of the N400, both with respect to latency and to distributions. With age, the onset of the N400 insignificantly decreases, while its offset slightly increases. We also examined whether the N400 appears different for recently-acquired novel words vs. existing words: both situations reveal heterogeneity across studies. Finally, we inspected whether the N400 was modulated differently with studies using a between-subject design. In infants with more proficient language skills the N400 was more often present or showed itself here with earlier latency, compared to their peers; but no consistent patterns were observed for distribution characteristics of the N400. One limitation of the current review is that we compared studies that widely differed in choice of EEG recordings, pre-processing steps and quantification of the N400, all of which could affect the characteristics of the infant N400. The field is still missing research that systematically tests development of the N400 using the same paradigm across infancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Junge
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Marlijne Boumeester
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Debra L. Mills
- School of Psychology, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Mariella Paul
- Psychology of Language Research Group, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Samuel H. Cosper
- Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
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Murillo E, Camacho L, Montero I. Multimodal Communication in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Different Linguistic Development. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 51:1528-1539. [PMID: 32748194 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04637-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
This study focuses on the multimodal communication of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) compared to typically developing (TD) children. Eleven children with ASD (aged from 28 to 79 months) and 11 TD children (from 12 to 30 months) were matched by their productive vocabulary. We observed their communicative production in a semi-structured play situation. Results showed no differences in the combinations of gestural and vocal elements between children with ASD and TD. By contrast, regarding the production of the three-element multimodal combinations, we found a different pattern between ASD and TD children depending on their lexical development. These results provide clues to understand some controversial findings regarding multimodal production of people with ASD described in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Murillo
- Departamento de Psicología Básica, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Lourdes Camacho
- Departamento de Psicología Experimental, Procesos Cognitivos y Logopedia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ignacio Montero
- Departamento de Psicología Social y Metodología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Brief Report: Parents' Declarative Use of Deictic Gestures Predict Vocabulary Development in Infants at High and Low Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 52:914-922. [PMID: 33792804 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-04989-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
We examined the communicative intentions behind parents' deictic gesture use with high-risk infants later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; n = 17), high-risk infants who were not diagnosed with ASD (n = 25), and low-risk infants (n = 28) at 12 months and assessed the extent to which the parental deictic gesture intentions predicted infants' later vocabulary development. We found that parents in the three groups produced similar numbers of declarative and imperative gestures during a 10-minute parent-child interaction in the lab at 12 months and that 12-month parental declarative gesture use was significantly, positively associated with children's 36-month vocabulary scores. Encouraging parental use of declarative gestures with infants could have important implications for language development.
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Tanner A, Dounavi K. The Emergence of Autism Symptoms Prior to 18 Months of Age: A Systematic Literature Review. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 51:973-993. [PMID: 32734422 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04618-w/tables/3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Pre-diagnostic intervention for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) allows symptoms to be addressed as they emerge, often between six to 18 months, rather than after the full onset of the disorder. A systematic literature review, spanning the previous six years was conducted in order to provide an updated review looking at the earliest behavior symptoms of ASD. All included studies used a prospective experimental design, reported on symptoms that emerged before 18-months of age, exclusively in children who would later receive a diagnosis, and were assessed for quality. This review is the first to address this research question through the use of a systematic research design and extends the literature by following up on recommendations for future research from previous findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Tanner
- Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
- School of Social Sciences, Education & Social Work, 69-71 University Street, Belfast, BT7 1HL, Northern Ireland.
| | - Katerina Dounavi
- Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
- School of Social Sciences, Education & Social Work, 69-71 University Street, Belfast, BT7 1HL, Northern Ireland.
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12
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Tanner A, Dounavi K. The Emergence of Autism Symptoms Prior to 18 Months of Age: A Systematic Literature Review. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 51:973-993. [PMID: 32734422 PMCID: PMC7954747 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04618-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Pre-diagnostic intervention for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) allows symptoms to be addressed as they emerge, often between six to 18 months, rather than after the full onset of the disorder. A systematic literature review, spanning the previous six years was conducted in order to provide an updated review looking at the earliest behavior symptoms of ASD. All included studies used a prospective experimental design, reported on symptoms that emerged before 18-months of age, exclusively in children who would later receive a diagnosis, and were assessed for quality. This review is the first to address this research question through the use of a systematic research design and extends the literature by following up on recommendations for future research from previous findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Tanner
- Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
- School of Social Sciences, Education & Social Work, 69-71 University Street, Belfast, BT7 1HL, Northern Ireland.
| | - Katerina Dounavi
- Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
- School of Social Sciences, Education & Social Work, 69-71 University Street, Belfast, BT7 1HL, Northern Ireland.
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13
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Haebig E, Jiménez E, Cox CR, Hills TT. Characterizing the early vocabulary profiles of preverbal and minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2020; 25:958-970. [PMID: 33246365 DOI: 10.1177/1362361320973799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT Although preverbal and minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder represent a significant portion of the autism spectrum disorder population, we have a limited understanding of and characterization of them. Although it is a given that their lexical profiles contain fewer words, it is important to determine whether (a) the words preverbal and minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder produce are similar to the first words typically developing children produce or (b) there are unique features of the limited words that preverbal and minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder produce. The current study compared the early word profiles of preverbal and minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder to vocabulary-matched typically developing toddlers. Children with autism spectrum disorder produced proportionally more verbs than typically developing toddlers. Also, children with autism spectrum disorder produced proportionally more action and food words, while typically developing toddlers produced proportionally more animal words, animal sounds and sound effects, and people words. Children with autism spectrum disorder also produced "mommy" and "daddy" at lower rates. Our findings identified several areas of overlap in early word learning; however, our findings also point to differences that may be connected to core weaknesses in social communication (i.e. people words). The findings highlight words and categories that could serve as useful targets for communication intervention with preverbal and minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder.
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Jiménez E, Haebig E, Hills TT. Identifying Areas of Overlap and Distinction in Early Lexical Profiles of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Late Talkers, and Typical Talkers. J Autism Dev Disord 2020; 51:3109-3125. [PMID: 33156473 PMCID: PMC8349327 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04772-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
This study compares the lexical composition of 118 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aged 12 to 84 months with 4626 vocabulary-matched typically developing toddlers with and without language delay, aged 8 to 30 months. Children with ASD and late talkers showed a weaker noun bias. Additionally, differences were identified in the proportion of nouns and verbs, and in the semantic categories of animals, toys, household items and vehicles. Most differences appear to reflect the extent of the age differences between the groups. However, children with ASD produced fewer high-social verbs than typical talkers and late talkers, a difference that might be associated with ASD features. In sum, our findings identified areas of overlap and distinction across the developing lexical profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Jiménez
- Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, University Road, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK.
| | - Eileen Haebig
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, USA
| | - Thomas T Hills
- Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, University Road, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
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15
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Early behavioral markers for neurodevelopmental disorders in the first 3 years of life: An overview of systematic reviews. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 116:183-201. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.06.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Revised: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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16
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Piloting the Use of a Short Observation List for ASD-Symptoms in Day-Care: Challenges and Further Possibilities. J Autism Dev Disord 2019; 50:3413-3423. [PMID: 31797183 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-019-04313-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Early symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) develop through the second year of life, making a stable ASD diagnosis possible around 24 months of age. However, in general, children with ASD are diagnosed later. In this study we explored the use of a short observation list to detect symptoms associated with ASD in children 12-24 months of age attending typical day-care centers. The results indicate that a short observation list used by day-care teachers does not reveal sufficient properties to be independently used in young children in day-care centers. Further studies should explore multiple and repeated measures for early detection of symptoms associated with ASD in typical day-care centers.
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Denisova K. Failure to attune to language predicts autism in high risk infants. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2019; 194:109-120. [PMID: 31133435 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2019.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Revised: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/10/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Young humans are typically sensitive to evolutionarily important aspects of information in the surrounding environment in a way that makes us thrive. Seeking to probe the putative disruptions of this process in infancy, I examined the statistical character of head movements in 52 9-10 mo-old infants, half at high familial risk (HR) for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), who underwent an fMRI scan while listening to words spoken with alternating stress patterns on syllables. Relative to low risk (LR) infants, HR infants, in particular those showing the least rapid receptive language progress, had significantly lower noise-to-signal levels and increased symmetry. A comparison of patterns during a native language and a sleep scan revealed the most atypical ordering of signatures on the 3 tasks in a subset of HR infants, suggesting that the biological mechanism of language development is least acquisitive in those HR infants who go on to develop ASD in toddlerhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Denisova
- Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA; Division of Developmental Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA.
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18
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Jones EJH, Mason L, Begum Ali J, van den Boomen C, Braukmann R, Cauvet E, Demurie E, Hessels RS, Ward EK, Hunnius S, Bolte S, Tomalski P, Kemner C, Warreyn P, Roeyers H, Buitelaar J, Falck-Ytter T, Charman T, Johnson MH. Eurosibs: Towards robust measurement of infant neurocognitive predictors of autism across Europe. Infant Behav Dev 2019; 57:101316. [PMID: 31128517 PMCID: PMC6891238 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2019.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Revised: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 03/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The Eurosibs consortium is a nine-site European neurocognitive study of infants with an older sibling with ASD. Data quality assessments show that that neurocognitive measures hold promise for cross-site consistency in diverse populations. We present robust data analysis pipelines and highlight challenges and opportunities for future multisite research efforts.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects social communication skills and flexible behaviour. Developing new treatment approaches for ASD requires early identification of the factors that influence later behavioural outcomes. One fruitful research paradigm has been the prospective study of infants with a first degree relative with ASD, who have around a 20% likelihood of developing ASD themselves. Early findings have identified a range of candidate neurocognitive markers for later ASD such as delayed attention shifting or neural responses to faces, but given the early stage of the field most sample sizes are small and replication attempts remain rare. The Eurosibs consortium is a European multisite neurocognitive study of infants with an older sibling with ASD conducted across nine sites in five European countries. In this manuscript, we describe the selection and standardization of our common neurocognitive testing protocol. We report data quality assessments across sites, showing that neurocognitive measures hold great promise for cross-site consistency in diverse populations. We discuss our approach to ensuring robust data analysis pipelines and boosting future reproducibility. Finally, we summarise challenges and opportunities for future multi-site research efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- E J H Jones
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London, WC1E 7HX, UK.
| | - L Mason
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London, WC1E 7HX, UK
| | - J Begum Ali
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London, WC1E 7HX, UK
| | - C van den Boomen
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - R Braukmann
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - E Cauvet
- Center for Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND), Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - R S Hessels
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - E K Ward
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - S Hunnius
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - S Bolte
- Center for Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND), Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - C Kemner
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - J Buitelaar
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - T Falck-Ytter
- Center for Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND), Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - T Charman
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - M H Johnson
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London, WC1E 7HX, UK
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Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder Can Use Language to Update Their Expectations About the World. J Autism Dev Disord 2019; 49:429-440. [PMID: 30136111 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3706-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
This study examined if two-year-olds with ASD can update mental representations on the basis of verbal input. In an eye-tracking study, toddlers with ASD and typically-developing nonverbal age-matched controls were exposed to visual or verbal information about a change in a recently encoded scene, followed by an outcome that was either congruent or incongruent with that information. Findings revealed that both groups looked longer at incongruent outcomes, regardless of information modality, and despite the fact that toddlers with ASD had significantly lower measured verbal abilities than TD toddlers. This demonstrates that, although there is heterogeneity on the individual level, young toddlers with ASD can succeed in updating their mental representations on the basis of verbal input in a low-demand task.
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20
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Barone R, Spampinato C, Pino C, Palermo F, Scuderi A, Zavattieri A, Gulisano M, Giordano D, Rizzo R. Online comprehension across different semantic categories in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0211802. [PMID: 30742652 PMCID: PMC6370186 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 01/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Word comprehension across semantic categories is a key area of language development. Using online automated eye-tracking technology to reduce response demands during a word comprehension test may be advantageous in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Objectives To measure online accuracy of word recognition across eleven semantic categories in preschool children with ASD and in typically developing (TD) children matched for gender and developmental age. Methods Using eye-tracker methodology we measured the relative number of fixations on a target image as compared to a foil of the same category shown simultaneously on screen. This online accuracy measure was considered a measure of word understanding. We tested the relationship between online accuracy and offline word recognition and the effects of clinical variables on online accuracy. Twenty-four children with ASD and 21 TD control children underwent the eye-tracking task. Results On average, children with ASD were significantly less accurate at fixating on the target image than the TD children. After multiple comparison correction, no significant differences were found across the eleven semantic categories of the experiment between preschool children with ASD and younger TD children matched for developmental age. The ASD group showed higher intragroup variability consistent with greater variation in vocabulary growth rates. Direct effects of non-verbal cognitive levels, vocabulary levels and gesture productions on online word recognition in both groups support a dimensional view of language abilities in ASD. Conclusions Online measures of word comprehension across different semantic categories show higher interindividual variability in children with ASD and may be useful for objectively monitor gains on targeted language interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Barone
- Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit—Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine; University of Catania, Catania, Italy
- CNR-Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials IPCB, Catania, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Concetto Spampinato
- Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering; University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Carmelo Pino
- Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering; University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Filippo Palermo
- Biostatistics—Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine; University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Anna Scuderi
- School of Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Anna Zavattieri
- Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit—Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine; University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Mariangela Gulisano
- Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit—Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine; University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Daniela Giordano
- Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering; University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Renata Rizzo
- Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit—Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine; University of Catania, Catania, Italy
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21
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Roemer EJ, West KL, Northrup JB, Iverson JM. Word comprehension mediates the link between gesture and word production: Examining language development in infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder. Dev Sci 2018; 22:e12767. [PMID: 30350906 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2017] [Revised: 10/04/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Children's gesture production precedes and predicts language development, but the pathways linking these domains are unclear. It is possible that gesture production assists in children's developing word comprehension, which in turn supports expressive vocabulary acquisition. The present study examines this mediation pathway in a population with variability in early communicative abilities-the younger siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; high-risk infants, HR). Participants included 92 HR infants and 28 infants at low risk (LR) for ASD. A primary caregiver completed the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory (Fenson, et al., 1993) at 12, 14, and 18 months, and HR infants received a diagnostic evaluation for ASD at 36 months. Word comprehension at 14 months mediated the relationship between 12-month gesture and 18-month word production in LR and HR infants (ab = 0.263; p < 0.01). For LR infants and HR infants with no diagnosis or language delay, gesture was strongly associated with word comprehension (as = 0.666; 0.646; 0.561; ps < 0.01). However, this relationship did not hold for infants later diagnosed with ASD (a = 0.073; p = 0.840). This finding adds to a growing literature suggesting that children with ASD learn language differently. Furthermore, this study provides an initial step toward testing the developmental pathways by which infants transition from early actions and gestures to expressive language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily J Roemer
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Kelsey L West
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Jessie B Northrup
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Jana M Iverson
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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22
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Iverson JM, Northrup JB, Leezenbaum NB, Parladé MV, Koterba EA, West KL. Early Gesture and Vocabulary Development in Infant Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2018; 48:55-71. [PMID: 28900778 PMCID: PMC5831718 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-017-3297-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
This study examined longitudinal growth in gestures and words in infants at heightened (HR) versus low risk (LR) for ASD. The MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory was administered monthly from 8 to 14 months and at 18 and 24 months to caregivers of 14 HR infants diagnosed with ASD (HR-ASD), 27 HR infants with language delay (HR-LD), 51 HR infants with no diagnosis (HR-ND), and 28 LR infants. Few differences were obtained between LR and HR-ND infants, but HR-LD and HR-ASD groups differed in initial skill levels and growth patterns. While HR-LD infants grew at rates comparable to LR and HR-ND infants, growth was attenuated in the HR-ASD group, with trajectories progressively diverging from all other groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana M Iverson
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, 3415 Sennott Square, 210 S. Bouquet St., Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.
| | - Jessie B Northrup
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, 3137 Sennott Square, 210 S. Bouquet St., Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Nina B Leezenbaum
- TEACCH Autism Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7180 UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Meaghan V Parladé
- Department of Psychology, Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, University of Miami, P.O. Box 248768, 5665 Ponce de Leon Blvd, Miami, FL, 33124-0725, USA
| | - Erin A Koterba
- Department of Psychology, College of Social Sciences, Mathematics, and Education, University of Tampa, PH 315, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Box Q, Tampa, FL, 33606, USA
| | - Kelsey L West
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, 3137 Sennott Square, 210 S. Bouquet St., Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
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23
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Ross LA, Del Bene VA, Molholm S, Woo YJ, Andrade GN, Abrahams BS, Foxe JJ. Common variation in the autism risk gene CNTNAP2, brain structural connectivity and multisensory speech integration. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2017; 174:50-60. [PMID: 28738218 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2017.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Revised: 04/07/2017] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Three lines of evidence motivated this study. 1) CNTNAP2 variation is associated with autism risk and speech-language development. 2) CNTNAP2 variations are associated with differences in white matter (WM) tracts comprising the speech-language circuitry. 3) Children with autism show impairment in multisensory speech perception. Here, we asked whether an autism risk-associated CNTNAP2 single nucleotide polymorphism in neurotypical adults was associated with multisensory speech perception performance, and whether such a genotype-phenotype association was mediated through white matter tract integrity in speech-language circuitry. Risk genotype at rs7794745 was associated with decreased benefit from visual speech and lower fractional anisotropy (FA) in several WM tracts (right precentral gyrus, left anterior corona radiata, right retrolenticular internal capsule). These structural connectivity differences were found to mediate the effect of genotype on audiovisual speech perception, shedding light on possible pathogenic pathways in autism and biological sources of inter-individual variation in audiovisual speech processing in neurotypicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars A Ross
- The Sheryl and Daniel R. Tishman Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC), Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
| | - Victor A Del Bene
- The Sheryl and Daniel R. Tishman Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC), Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Sophie Molholm
- The Sheryl and Daniel R. Tishman Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC), Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Rose F. Kennedy Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Young Jae Woo
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Gizely N Andrade
- The Sheryl and Daniel R. Tishman Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC), Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Brett S Abrahams
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Rose F. Kennedy Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - John J Foxe
- The Sheryl and Daniel R. Tishman Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC), Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Rose F. Kennedy Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
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Piven J, Elison JT, Zylka MJ. Toward a conceptual framework for early brain and behavior development in autism. Mol Psychiatry 2017; 22:1385-1394. [PMID: 28937691 PMCID: PMC5621737 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2017.131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Revised: 04/19/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Studies of infant siblings of older autistic probands, who are at elevated risk for autism, have demonstrated that the defining features of autism are not present in the first year of life but emerge late in the first and into the second year. A recent longitudinal neuroimaging study of high-risk siblings revealed a specific pattern of brain development in infants later diagnosed with autism, characterized by cortical surface area hyper-expansion in the first year followed by brain volume overgrowth in the second year that is associated with the emergence of autistic social deficits. Together with new observations from genetically defined autism risk alleles and rodent model, these findings suggest a conceptual framework for the early, post-natal development of autism. This framework postulates that an increase in the proliferation of neural progenitor cells and hyper-expansion of cortical surface area in the first year, occurring during a pre-symptomatic period characterized by disrupted sensorimotor and attentional experience, leads to altered experience-dependent neuronal development and decreased elimination of neuronal processes. This process is linked to brain volume overgrowth and disruption of the refinement of neural circuit connections and is associated with the emergence of autistic social deficits in the second year of life. A better understanding of the timing of developmental brain and behavior mechanisms in autism during infancy, a period which precedes the emergence of the defining features of this disorder, will likely have important implications for designing rational approaches to early intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Piven
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA,Department of Psychiatry, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA,Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Campus Box 7255, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7255, USA. E-mail:
| | - J T Elison
- Institute of Child Development and Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - M J Zylka
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA,Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, and UNC Neuroscience Center, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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25
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Filipe MG, Watson L, Vicente SG, Frota S. Atypical preference for infant-directed speech as an early marker of autism spectrum disorders? A literature review and directions for further research. CLINICAL LINGUISTICS & PHONETICS 2017; 32:213-231. [PMID: 28727482 DOI: 10.1080/02699206.2017.1342694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2017] [Accepted: 06/12/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) refer to a complex group of neurodevelopmental disorders causing difficulties with communication and interpersonal relationships, as well as restricted and repetitive behaviours and interests. As early identification, diagnosis, and intervention provide better long-term outcomes, early markers of ASD have gained increased research attention. This review examines evidence that auditory processing enhanced by social interest, in particular auditory preference of speech directed towards infants and young children (i.e. infant-directed speech - IDS), may be an early marker of risk for ASD. Although this review provides evidence for IDS preference as, indeed, a potential early marker of ASD, the explanation for differences in IDS processing among children with ASD versus other children remains unclear, as are the implications of these impairments for later social-communicative development. Therefore, it is crucial to explore atypicalities in IDS processing early on development and to understand whether preferential listening to specific types of speech sounds in the first years of life may help to predict the impairments in social and language development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marisa G Filipe
- a Centro de Linguística, Faculdade de Letras, Universidade de Lisboa , Lisbon , Portugal
- b Universidade do Porto , Porto , Portugal
| | - Linda Watson
- c University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill , North Carolina , USA
| | | | - Sónia Frota
- a Centro de Linguística, Faculdade de Letras, Universidade de Lisboa , Lisbon , Portugal
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26
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Garrido D, Petrova D, Watson LR, Garcia-Retamero R, Carballo G. Language and motor skills in siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analytic review. Autism Res 2017; 10:1737-1750. [DOI: 10.1002/aur.1829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2016] [Revised: 05/24/2017] [Accepted: 06/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dunia Garrido
- Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center, University of Granada; Spain
| | - Dafina Petrova
- Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center, University of Granada; Spain
| | - Linda R. Watson
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Chapel Hill North Carolina
| | - Rocio Garcia-Retamero
- Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center, University of Granada; Spain
- Max Planck Institute for Human Development; Berlin Germany
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