Early social and emotional communication in the infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders: an examination of the broad phenotype.
Infants with older siblings with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD-sibs) are at risk for socioemotional difficulties. ASD-sibs were compared to infants with typically developing older siblings (TD-sibs) using the face-to-face/still-face (FFSF) at 6 months and the Early Social Communication Scale (ESCS) at 8, 10, 12, 15, and/or 18 months. ASD-sibs smiled for a lower proportion of the FFSF than TD-sibs and lacked emotional continuity between episodes. With respect to TD-sibs, ASD-sibs engaged in lower rates of initiating joint attention at 15 months, lower rates of higher-level behavioral requests at 12 months, and responded to fewer joint attention bids at 18 months. The results suggest subtle, inconsistent, but multi-faceted deficits in emotional expression and referential communication in infants at-risk for ASDs.
Cassel
Tricia D
TD
Department of Psychology, University of Miami, P.O. Box 248185, Coral Gables, FL, 33124-0751, USA.
Messinger
Daniel S
DS
Ibanez
Lisa V
LV
Haltigan
John D
JD
Acosta
Susan I
SI
Buchman
Albert C
AC
D000293:Adolescent; D001288:Attention; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003142:Communication; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D012801:Sibling Relations; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires