title: Electrodermal Variability and Symptom Severity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
abstract: Associations between variability in sympathetic nervous system arousal and individual differences in symptom severity were examined for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Thirty-four families participated in a laboratory visit that included continuous measurement of electrodermal activity (EDA) during a battery of naturalistic and structured parent-child, child alone, and direct testing tasks. Multiple indices of EDA were considered. Greater variability in EDA was associated with higher levels of ASD symptoms, with findings generally consistent across tasks. Intellectual functioning did not moderate the relation between EDA and ASD symptoms. Sympathetic arousal tendencies may represent an important individual difference factor for this population. Future directions and conceptualizations of EDA are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Studies / Center for Autism, California State University-Fullerton, 800 N. State College Blvd. EC-560, Fullerton, CA, 92831, USA. rfenning@fullerton.edu.
authors.forename: Rachel M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Fenning
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Studies / Center for Autism, California State University-Fullerton, 800 N. State College Blvd. EC-560, Fullerton, CA, 92831, USA.
authors.forename: Jason K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.affiliation: University of Utah, 380 S. 1530 E. BEHS 502, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112, USA.
authors.forename: Brian R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Baucom
authors.affiliation: Auburn University, 203 Spidle Hall, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Erath
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Studies / Center for Autism, California State University-Fullerton, 800 N. State College Blvd. EC-560, Fullerton, CA, 92831, USA.
authors.forename: Mariann A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Howland
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Studies / Center for Autism, California State University-Fullerton, 800 N. State College Blvd. EC-560, Fullerton, CA, 92831, USA.
authors.forename: Jacquelyn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moffitt
mesh_terms: D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Autism symptomatology; Electrodermal activity; Intellectual disability; Psychophysiology