INFANT AVOIDANCE DURING A TACTILE TASK PREDICTS AUTISM SPECTRUM BEHAVIORS IN TODDLERHOOD

Overview

Journal Infant Ment Health J

Specialties Pediatrics
Psychology
Social Sciences

Date 2015 Nov 5

PMID 26536145

Citations 20

Authors

Micah A Mammen

Ginger A Moore

Laura V Scaramella

David Reiss

Jody M Ganiban

Daniel S Shaw

Leslie D Leve

Jenae M Neiderhiser

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The experience of touch is critical for early communication and social interaction; infants who show aversion to touch may be at risk for atypical development and behavior problems. The current study aimed to clarify predictive associations between infant responses to tactile stimuli and toddler autism spectrum, internalizing, and externalizing behaviors. This study measured 9-month-old infants' (N = 561; 58% male) avoidance and negative affect during a novel tactile task in which parents painted infants' hands and feet and pressed them to paper to make a picture. Parent reports on the Pervasive Developmental Problems (PDP), Internalizing, and Externalizing scales of the Child Behavior Checklist were used to measure toddler behaviors at 18 months. Infant observed avoidance and negative affect were significantly correlated; however, avoidance predicted subsequent PDP scores only, independent of negative affect, which did not predict any toddler behaviors. Findings suggest that incorporating measures of responses to touch in the study of early social interaction may provide an important and discriminating construct for identifying children at greater risk for social impairments related to autism spectrum behaviors.

Citing Articles

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Cortex-restricted deletion of Foxp1 impairs barrel formation and induces aberrant tactile responses in a mouse model of autism.

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A Novel Head-Fixed Assay for Social Touch in Mice Uncovers Aversive Responses in Two Autism Models.

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