Affect and gaze responses during an Emotion-Evoking Task in infants at an increased likelihood for autism spectrum disorder

Lori-Ann R Sacrey,Lonnie Zwaigenbaum,Isabel M Smith,Jessica A Brian,Vickie Armstrong,Louis A Schmidt,Tracy Vaillancourt,Sarah Raza

doi:10.1186/s13229-021-00468-0

Abstract

BackgroundThe majority of research examining emotional difficulties in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prior to age 2 relies on parent report.MethodsWe examined behavioral responses (affect and gaze) during emotionally salient tasks designed to elicit mildly positive and negative emotional states in infants. At 12 and 18 months, infants at an increased likelihood for an ASD diagnosis (IL; have an older sibling with ASD; n = 60) and low likelihood (LL; no family history of ASD; n = 21) completed the Emotion-Evoking (EE) Task and parents completed the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R). All children received an Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale—second Edition assessment for ASD symptomatology at 24 months.ResultsThe main findings were (1) the IL group displayed higher rates of negative affect and spent less time looking at the task objects compared to the LL group, and (2) affect and gaze scores at 12 and 18 months, but not scores on the IBQ-R, predicted ASD symptoms at 24 months.LimitationsThe data were drawn from an IL sample and may not be generalizable to the general ASD population, and the children were not followed to determine a diagnosis of ASD.ConclusionThese results suggest that behavioral responses can provide important information that complements parent reports of emotional regulation in IL infants as early as 12 months of age.

Highlights

The majority of research examining emotional difficulties in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prior to age 2 relies on parent report
Garon et al [20] examined parent ratings on the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R, [52]) at 12 months and the Toddler Behavior Assessment Questionnaire-Revised [54] at 24 months and found that parents of infants at an increased likelihood of an ASD diagnosis (IL, younger siblings of children diagnosed with ASD) rated their children as showing higher levels of fear, sadness, and anger, and lower inhibitory control, soothability, attention focus, high pleasure, and low pleasure compared to typically developing peers
The Increased likelihood (IL) group showed higher rates of negative affect and spent less time looking at the task objects compared to the LL group during the Emotion-Evoking Task

Summary

Introduction

The majority of research examining emotional difficulties in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prior to age 2 relies on parent report. Most previous research examining ER in very young children (2 years and under) has used parent questionnaires [44] that assess temperament, that is, individual differences in reactivity and self-regulation of emotion, attention, and activity [53], rather than direct (i.e., physiological) measures. Garon et al [20] examined parent ratings on the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R, [52]) at 12 months and the Toddler Behavior Assessment Questionnaire-Revised [54] at 24 months and found that parents of infants at an increased likelihood of an ASD diagnosis (IL, younger siblings of children diagnosed with ASD) rated their children as showing higher levels of fear, sadness, and anger, and lower inhibitory control, soothability, attention focus, high pleasure, and low pleasure compared to typically developing peers. The Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire [51] administered at 24 months yielded higher levels of sadness among the IL group than for LL children

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Discussion

Conclusion