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Rajendran G, McKenna PE, Corley M. Characterising developmental disorders: Towards better group comparisons in developmental research. METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.metip.2022.100101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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2
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Chen F, Cheung CCH, Peng G. Linguistic Tone and Non-Linguistic Pitch Imitation in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Cross-Linguistic Investigation. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 52:2325-2343. [PMID: 34109462 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-05123-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The conclusions on prosodic pitch features in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have primarily been derived from studies in non-tonal language speakers. This cross-linguistic study evaluated the performance of imitating Cantonese lexical tones and their non-linguistic (nonspeech) counterparts by Cantonese- and Mandarin-speaking children with and without ASD. Acoustic analyses showed that, compared with typically developing peers, children with ASD exhibited increased pitch variations when imitating lexical tones, while performed similarly when imitating the nonspeech counterparts. Furthermore, Mandarin-speaking children with ASD failed to exploit the phonological knowledge of segments to improve the imitation accuracy of non-native lexical tones. These findings help clarify the speech-specific pitch processing atypicality and phonological processing deficit in tone-language-speaking children with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Chen
- School of Foreign Languages, Hunan University, Changsha, China.
| | - Candice Chi-Hang Cheung
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, & Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Gang Peng
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, & Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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Abstract
A large number of studies have now described the various ways in which the observation of another person's dynamic movement can influence the speed with which the observer is able to prepare a motor action themselves. The typical results are most often explained with reference to theories that link perception and action. Such theories argue that the cognitive structures associated with each share common representations. Consequently, action preparation and action observation are often said to be functionally equivalent. However, the dominance of these theories in explaining action observation effects has masked the potential contribution from processes associated with the detection of low-level "transients" resulting from observing a body movement, such as motion and sound. In the present review, we describe work undertaken in one particular action observation phenomenon ("social inhibition of return") and show that the transient account provides the best explanation of the effect. We argue that future work should consider attention capture and orienting as a potential contributing factor to action observation effects more broadly.
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Boterberg S, Van Coster R, Roeyers H. Characteristics, Early Development and Outcome of Parent-Reported Regression in Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2020; 49:4603-4625. [PMID: 31463633 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-019-04183-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
This study explored regression patterns in 100 children with ASD (3-11 years) using several approaches to enhance the validity of retrospective parent report. Both early development and outcome were examined in regression groups defined by 36 months age cut-off and two underlying empirical patterns based on type and onset age. Results over regression groups were generally consistent. During early development, children with regression showed a similar amount of social atypicalities and stereotyped behaviour as compared to children without regression. However, parents indicated less communication skills which could be a valuable predictor of regression. Development after regression was characterised by early language delay and more restricted and repetitive behaviour. The findings provide insight into the diagnosis and prognosis of regression in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofie Boterberg
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Rudy Van Coster
- Department of Paediatric Neurology and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Herbert Roeyers
- Department of Paediatric Neurology and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
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Boterberg S, Charman T, Marschik PB, Bölte S, Roeyers H. Regression in autism spectrum disorder: A critical overview of retrospective findings and recommendations for future research. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 102:24-55. [PMID: 30917924 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Revised: 03/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Historically, two onset patterns in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were described: early onset of symptoms and regression in which one-third appear to show a loss of previously established skills in the second year of life. Since this phenomenon could represent a distinct ASD subtype and provide more insight into the etiology, diagnosis, and prognosis, many studies have compared these two groups. The present review discusses definitions, etiology, and methods used in research with a retrospective design and provides an overview of the results on early development and outcomes. However, retrospective research has not provided clear answers on regression as a distinct subtype of ASD and the historic division between early onset and regression does not seem to fit the empirical findings. Based on inconsistent results, future research on onset patterns in ASD needs to be more systematic on the definitions and methods used. Several recommendations to enhance the reliability of future retrospective results are discussed. The combination of a categorical and dimensional approach provides a new interesting framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofie Boterberg
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Tony Charman
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Peter B Marschik
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany; iDN - Interdisciplinary Developmental Neuroscience, Division of Phoniatrics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Sven Bölte
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research; Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet & Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stockholm Health Care Services, Stockholm County Council, Stockholm, Sweden; Curtin Autism Research Group, School of Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Herbert Roeyers
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Brief Report: Imitation of Object-Directed Acts in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 2016; 46:691-7. [PMID: 26386710 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-015-2596-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) imitate less than typically developing (TD) children; however, the specific features and causes of this deficit are still unclear. The current study investigates the role of joint engagement, specifically children's visual attention to demonstrations, in an object-directed imitation task. This sample was recruited from an early ASD screening study, which allows for an examination of these behaviors prior to formal diagnosis and ASD-specific intervention. Children with ASD imitated less than TD children; children with other developmental delays showed no significant difference from the two other screen-positive groups. Additionally, only the ASD group showed decreased visual attention, suggesting that early visual attention plays a role in the social learning of children with ASD.
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Heimann M, Nordqvist E, Strid K, Connant Almrot J, Tjus T. Children with autism respond differently to spontaneous, elicited and deferred imitation. JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH : JIDR 2016; 60:491-501. [PMID: 27018212 DOI: 10.1111/jir.12272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2015] [Revised: 01/17/2016] [Accepted: 02/16/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Imitation, a key vehicle for both cognitive and social development, is often regarded as more difficult for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) than for children with Down syndrome (DS) or typically developing (TD) children. The current study investigates similarities and differences in observed elicited, spontaneous and deferred imitation using both actions with objects and gestures as imitation tasks in these groups. METHODS Imitation among 19 children with autism was compared with 20 children with DS and 23 TD children matched for mental and language age. RESULTS Elicited imitation resulted in significantly lower scores for the ASD group compared with the other two groups, an effect mainly carried by a low level of gesture imitation among ASD children. We observed no differences among the groups for spontaneous imitation. However, children with ASD or DS displayed less deferred imitation than the TD group. Proneness to imitate also differed among groups: only 10 (53%) of the children with autism responded in the elicited imitation condition compared with all children with DS and almost all TD children (87%). CONCLUSIONS These findings add to our understanding of the kind of imitation difficulties children with ASD might have. They also point to the necessity of not equating various imitation measures because these may capture different processes and be differently motivating for children with autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Heimann
- The Swedish Institute for Disability Research and Division of Psychology, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Sweden
| | - E Nordqvist
- The Swedish Institute for Disability Research and Division of Psychology, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Sweden
| | - K Strid
- Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - J Connant Almrot
- Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
- Psychologists for Maternal and Child Health Care, Primary Health Care, Region Västra Götaland, Sweden
| | - T Tjus
- Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
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Action or attention in social inhibition of return? PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2015; 81:43-54. [DOI: 10.1007/s00426-015-0738-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2015] [Accepted: 12/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Nordqvist E, Rudner M, Johansson M, Lindgren M, Heimann M. The relationship between deferred imitation, associative memory, and communication in 14-months-old children. Behavioral and electrophysiological indices. Front Psychol 2015; 6:260. [PMID: 25852588 PMCID: PMC4360574 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2015] [Accepted: 02/21/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study combines behavioral observations of memory (deferred imitation, DI, after a brief delay of 30 min and after a long delay of 2-3 weeks) and electrophysiological (event-related potentials, ERPs) measures of associative memory, as well as parental reports of non-verbal and verbal communication in sixteen 14-months-old children. Results show that for DI, the children remembered the stimulus after the brief but not after the long delay. There was a clear electrophysiological response indicating associative memory. Furthermore, a correlation between DI and ERP suggests that both measures of memory (DI and associative memory) tap into similar mechanisms in 14-months-old children. There was also a statistically significant relation between parental report of receptive (verbal) language and the ERP, showing an association between receptive language skills and associative memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emelie Nordqvist
- Department of Behavioral Sciences and Learning, Linköping UniversityLinköping, Sweden
- The Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Linköping UniversityLinköping, Sweden
| | - Mary Rudner
- Department of Behavioral Sciences and Learning, Linköping UniversityLinköping, Sweden
- The Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Linköping UniversityLinköping, Sweden
- Linnaeus Centre HEAD, Linköping UniversityLinköping, Sweden
| | | | | | - Mikael Heimann
- Department of Behavioral Sciences and Learning, Linköping UniversityLinköping, Sweden
- The Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Linköping UniversityLinköping, Sweden
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Strid K, Heimann M, Tjus T. Pretend play, deferred imitation and parent-child interaction in speaking and non-speaking children with autism. Scand J Psychol 2012; 54:26-32. [PMID: 23121545 DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Karin Strid
- Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
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Brief Report: Visuo-spatial Guidance of Movement during Gesture Imitation and Mirror Drawing in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 2012; 43:985-95. [DOI: 10.1007/s10803-012-1631-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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12
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Paukner A, Ferrari PF, Suomi SJ. Delayed imitation of lipsmacking gestures by infant rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). PLoS One 2011; 6:e28848. [PMID: 22174913 PMCID: PMC3236225 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2011] [Accepted: 11/16/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Human infants are capable of accurately matching facial gestures of an experimenter within a few hours after birth, a phenomenon called neonatal imitation. Recent studies have suggested that rather than being a simple reflexive-like behavior, infants exert active control over imitative responses and 'provoke' previously imitated gestures even after a delay of up to 24 h. Delayed imitation is regarded as the hallmark of a sophisticated capacity to control and flexibly engage in affective communication and has been described as an indicator of innate protoconversational readiness. However, we are not the only primates to exhibit neonatal imitation, and delayed imitation abilities may not be uniquely human. Here we report that 1-week-old infant rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) who show immediate imitation of a lipsmacking gesture also show delayed imitation of lipsmacking, facilitated by a tendency to refrain from lipsmacking toward a still face during baseline measurements. Individual differences in delayed imitation suggest that differentially matured cortical mechanisms may be involved, allowing some newborns macaques to actively participate in communicative exchanges from birth. Macaque infants are endowed with basic social competencies of intersubjective communication that indicate cognitive and emotional commonality between humans and macaques, which may have evolved to nurture an affective mother-infant relationship in primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Paukner
- Laboratory of Comparative Ethology, NIH Animal Center, Poolesville, Maryland, United States of America.
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Imitation assessment and its utility to the diagnosis of autism: evidence from consecutive clinical preschool referrals for suspected autism. J Autism Dev Disord 2011; 41:484-96. [PMID: 20683767 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-010-1074-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The present study sought to examine imitation difficulties as a risk factor for autism. Imitation aptitude was examined in 86 preschoolers suspected of autism (1.9-4.5 years) using the Preschool Imitation and Praxis Scale (PIPS). Differences between imitation, language, motor age-equivalents and nonverbal mental age were used to predict the diagnosis of autism. Multidisciplinary team diagnoses and ADOS-G classifications were used to differentiate children with autism spectrum disorders and non-spectrum developmental disorders. Two factors were found to be significantly associated with autism using simple logistic regression analyses: procedural imitation delay and receptive language delay. In a multivariable setting, only procedural imitation delay remained a significant predictor of autism. Results are new to the literature and require replications.
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Nobile M, Perego P, Piccinini L, Mani E, Rossi A, Bellina M, Molteni M. Further evidence of complex motor dysfunction in drug naïve children with autism using automatic motion analysis of gait. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2011; 15:263-83. [DOI: 10.1177/1362361309356929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In order to increase the knowledge of locomotor disturbances in children with autism, and of the mechanism underlying them, the objective of this exploratory study was to reliably and quantitatively evaluate linear gait parameters (spatio-temporal and kinematic parameters), upper body kinematic parameters, walk orientation and smoothness using an automatic motion analyser (ELITE systems) in drug naïve children with Autistic Disorder (AD) and healthy controls. The children with AD showed a stiffer gait in which the usual fluidity of walking was lost, trunk postural abnormalities, highly significant difficulties to maintain a straight line and a marked loss of smoothness (increase of jerk index), compared to the healthy controls. As a whole, these data suggest a complex motor dysfunction involving both the cortical and the subcortical area or, maybe, a possible deficit in the integration of sensory-motor information within motor networks (i.e., anomalous connections within the fronto-cerebello-thalamo-frontal network). Although the underlying neural structures involved remain to be better defined, these data may contribute to highlighting the central role of motor impairment in autism and suggest the usefulness of taking into account motor difficulties when developing new diagnostic and rehabilitation programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Nobile
- Child Psychiatry Unit, The 'Eugenio Medea' Scientific Institute, Bosisio Parini, Italy,
| | - Paolo Perego
- Gait Analysis Laboratory,The 'Eugenio Medea' Scientific Institute, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Luigi Piccinini
- Functional Rehabilitation Unit, The 'Eugenio Medea' Scientific Institute, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Elisa Mani
- Child Psychiatry Unit, The 'Eugenio Medea' Scientific Institute, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Agnese Rossi
- Child Psychiatry Unit,The 'Eugenio Medea' Scientific Institute, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Monica Bellina
- Child Psychiatry Unit, The 'Eugenio Medea' Scientific Institute, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Massimo Molteni
- Child Psychiatry Unit, The 'Eugenio Medea' Scientific Institute, Bosisio Parini, Italy
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