Autism Research最新文献

Sleep problems among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are a persistent issue that spans from early childhood to adulthood. The present study aimed to objectively investigate sleep continuity and alignment using ambulatory circadian monitoring (ACM) in a group of autistic individuals, with and without intellectual disabilities. We studied 214 participants. Sleep continuity and alignment were assessed using a minimum of 3 days of ACM. Participants were divided into four groups: (1) age < 10 years (n = 40, 87.5% males, M = 6.78 ± 1.40 years), (2) age 10–17 years (n = 53, 90.6% males, M = 12.62 ± 2.04 years), (3) age 18–27 years (n = 59, 74.6% males, M = 23.50 ± 2.60 years), and (4) age 28–65 years (n = 62, 74.2% males, M = 39.04 ± 9.49 years). All groups had significantly impaired sleep outcomes, except for TST. Adults had longer SOL and WASO duration, than children and adolescents. However, those differences were attenuated if participants ‘percentages of sleep parameters within normal range’ were compared. When evaluating circadian misalignment, sleep M5 is delayed in children and adolescents (2:56 am and 3:00 am, respectively), and strongly advanced in the older adults (group 4). Sleep problems that manifest in autism during childhood can endure throughout adulthood. Furthermore, there is a necessity to investigate how living conditions, such as enforced schedules in residential facilities, can influence the timing of the sleep midpoint.

Infants at elevated likelihood for autism (EL infants) have varied developmental outcomes. This exposes parents to a unique parenting journey, and in some, heightened psychological stress. This study investigated how maternal psychological stress is linked to variations in mother–infant interactions, specifically touch. We focused on mothers of EL infants, including infants with an older autistic sibling and infants born preterm (< 30 weeks), as well as mothers of infants at typical likelihood for autism (TL infants). At 10 months, maternal touch was coded during mother–infant interactions (n = 100) and psychological stress was measured using the Brief Symptom Inventory (n = 108). Results showed that mothers of sibling infants (n = 44) reported higher depressive symptoms compared to mothers of TL infants (n = 22). Mothers of preterm infants (n = 39) used less affectionate and caregiving touch and had shorter total touch duration, compared to mothers of TL infants (n = 20), and to a lesser extent, mothers of sibling infants (n = 41). In addition, mothers of sibling infants exhibited more high-intensity touch than both mothers of preterm and TL infants. Notably, increased depressive symptoms were associated with decreased touch duration in mothers of sibling (n = 41) and preterm infants (n = 39) only. These findings underscore the complex relationship between maternal depressive symptoms and maternal use of touch.

Some autistic children often have difficulty regulating their emotions. This pilot study evaluated the effectiveness of an intervention to reduce emotional dysregulation by developing inner speech in autistic children. The therapy is called Thinking in Speech (TiS). Nine certified speech-language pathologists were trained remotely. They, in turn, remotely administered TiS to 22 autistic children. Participating children were randomly assigned to either a therapy immediate or a waitlist control condition. Both groups received sixteen 30-min therapy sessions over 8–10 weeks. Parents rated the amount of emotional dysregulation on three measures before the intervention and after the sixteen 30-min therapy sessions. Results showed significant results on the Emotion Dysregulation Inventory-Dysphoria Scale (F = 5.49, n = 11, p = 0.008), and marginally significant results on the Emotion Dysregulation Inventory Index Regulation Index-Reactivity Scale (F = 2.57, n = 11, p = 0.089). Such findings suggest a potential impact of developing inner speech to reduce emotion dysregulation in autistic children.

Delays in language often co-occur among toddlers diagnosed with autism. Despite the high prevalence of language delays, the neurobiology underlying such language challenges remains unclear. Prior research has shown reduced EEG power across multiple frequency bands in 3-to-6-month-old infants with an autistic sibling, followed by accelerated increases in power with age. In this study, we decompose the power spectra into aperiodic (broad band neural firing) and periodic (oscillations) activity to explore possible links between aperiodic changes in the first year of life and later language outcomes. Combining EEG data across two longitudinal studies of infants with and without autistic siblings, we assessed whether infants with an elevated familial likelihood (EFL) exhibit altered changes in both periodic and aperiodic EEG activity at 3 and 12 months of age, compared to those with a low likelihood (LL), and whether developmental change in activity is associated with language development. At 3 months of age (n = LL 59, EFL 57), we observed that EFL infants have significantly lower aperiodic activity from 6.7 to 55 Hz (p < 0.05). However, change in aperiodic activity from 3 to 12 months was significantly increased in infants with a later diagnosis of autism, compared to EFL infants without an autism diagnosis (n = LL-NoASD 41, EFL-noASD 16, EFL-ASD 16). In addition, greater increases in aperiodic offset and slope from 3 to 12 months were associated with worse language development measured at 18 months (n = 24). Findings suggest that early age-dependent changes in EEG aperiodic power may serve as potential indicators of autism and language development in infants with a family history of autism.

Considerable variability in social engagement among individuals with autism is well documented. Since multiple processes may contribute to this heterogeneity, validating tools to assess these differences is crucial. Originally developed in the general population, the Child Social Preference Scale (CSPS-3) aims to assess distinct forms of social disengagement arising from different combinations of approach and avoidance motivations and holds promise for delineating variability in social behaviors within autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study investigated the factor structure and psychometric properties of the CSPS-3 in a sample of 689 children diagnosed with autism (Mage = 11.23, SD = 3.56; 76% male). The results suggest that a bifactor model, consisting of a general factor and three subscales (shyness, unsociability, and social avoidance), provided the best fit to the data, with the general factor accounting for most of the variance. While the subscales demonstrated adequate internal consistency, their construct reliability and stability varied, with much of the reliable variance attributed to the general factor. The structure was consistent across age and sex subgroups, and the subscales showed distinct patterns of associations with key clinical correlates. These findings support the CSPS-3's utility in assessing diverse forms of social disengagement in the autism population, while indicating that the subscales could be refined to better capture their unique aspects.

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face challenges in cognitive flexibility and rule-shifting. This study investigated a computerized Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST) paired with eye-tracking to understand the cognitive dynamics of set-shifting difficulties in autistic children and adolescents. The study included 21 Spanish-speaking autistic children and adolescents (mean age: 14.5 years) and 22 typically developing peers (mean age: 15.1), matched by gender, age, language, working memory, and intelligence. Participants sorted cards by number, color, or shape, receiving feedback after each trial. The sorting criterion changed after 10 correct responses without participants' prior knowledge. The task included 128 trials, followed by three strategy-related verbal questions. Behavioral and eye movement data showed that the autistic group performed worse, completing fewer sets and making more errors. Both groups had increased fixations and dwell time after feedback, but controls had a greater increase after incorrect responses. Autistic individuals may struggle with error monitoring and response inhibition, impacting their adaptability and less efficient learning of sorting rules. They engaged less in error analysis and correction than controls. Targeted interventions to enhance feedback processing and adaptive learning strategies could benefit autistic individuals. Future research should explore mechanisms behind eye-movement differences and the effectiveness of related interventions.