Abstract
BackgroundsAtypicalities in tactile processing are reported in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) but it remains unknown if they precede and associate with the traits of these disorders emerging in childhood. We investigated behavioural and neural markers of tactile sensory processing in infants at elevated likelihood of ASD and/or ADHD compared to infants at typical likelihood of the disorders. Further, we assessed the specificity of associations between infant markers and later ASD or ADHD traits.MethodsNinety-one 10-month-old infants participated in the study (n = 44 infants at elevated likelihood of ASD; n = 20 infants at elevated likelihood of ADHD; n = 9 infants at elevated likelihood of ASD and ADHD; n = 18 infants at typical likelihood of the disorders). Behavioural and EEG responses to pairs of tactile stimuli were experimentally recorded and concurrent parental reports of tactile responsiveness were collected. ASD and ADHD traits were measured at 24 months through standardized assessment (ADOS-2) and parental report (ECBQ), respectively.ResultsThere was no effect of infants’ likelihood status on behavioural markers of tactile sensory processing. Conversely, increased ASD likelihood associated with reduced neural repetition suppression to tactile input. Reduced neural repetition suppression at 10 months significantly predicted ASD (but not ADHD) traits at 24 months across the entire sample. Elevated tactile sensory seeking at 10 months moderated the relationship between early reduced neural repetition suppression and later ASD traits.ConclusionsReduced tactile neural repetition suppression is an early marker of later ASD traits in infants at elevated likelihood of ASD or ADHD, suggesting that a common pathway to later ASD traits exists despite different familial backgrounds. Elevated tactile sensory seeking may act as a protective factor, mitigating the relationship between early tactile neural repetition suppression and later ASD traits.
Highlights
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are heritable neurodevelopmental disorders emerging early in life
We found no evidence of a mediating role of tactile sensory seeking at 10 months
Overall, our study presents the first evidence of atypical neural repetition suppression of tactile stimulation in infants at elevated likelihood of ASD
Summary
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are heritable neurodevelopmental disorders emerging early in life. ASD affects up to 1.9% of the population [60], and core features of the conditions are social communication difficulties, restricted and repetitive behaviours and sensory atypicalities (DSM-5 [4];). ADHD affects up to 3.4% of the population [76] and core features of the condition are attentional control difficulties, hyperactivity and impulsivity (DSM-5 [4];). Some common developmental mechanisms are proposed to underlie the emergence of ASD and ADHD but specific pathways have not been identified [45,46,47]
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