Atypical cry acoustics in 6-month-old infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder
Stephen J Sheinkopf1, Jana M Iverson, Melissa L Rinaldi
1Departments of Psychiatry & Human Behavior and Pediatrics, Center for the Study of Children at Risk, Brown Alpert Medical School, Women & Infants Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island 02905, USA. Stephen_Sheinkopf@brown.edu
Insights
Infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit distinct cry acoustics, including higher fundamental frequency and poorer phonation. These vocal differences may indicate early signs of atypical development in babies.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Speech and Hearing Sciences
Background:
- Early identification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is crucial for timely intervention.
- Infant cry acoustics offer a potential window into early neurodevelopmental trajectories.
- Atypical vocalizations may serve as early biomarkers for neurodevelopmental conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate acoustic differences in infant cries between infants at high risk for ASD and a low-risk comparison group.
- To determine if cry acoustics can serve as an early indicator of autism spectrum disorder.
- To explore the relationship between cry characteristics and later ASD classification.
Main Methods:
- Acoustic analysis of cry samples from 6-month-old infants at high risk for ASD (n=21) and low-risk controls (n=18).
- Categorization of cries into pain-related and non-pain-related based on videotape coding.
- Analysis of fundamental frequency (F0) and phonation quality.
Main Results:
- Infants at risk for ASD produced pain-related cries with significantly higher and more variable fundamental frequency (F0) compared to low-risk infants.
- Infants later diagnosed with ASD exhibited the highest F0 values and poorer phonation, indicating less voiced vocalizations.
- These findings suggest cry acoustics may differ in infants with early signs of autism.
Conclusions:
- Disruptions in infant cry acoustics may represent an atypical vocal signature associated with autism spectrum disorder.
- Cry acoustic analysis holds potential for early identification of neurodevelopmental differences.
- Further research is warranted to validate these findings and explore clinical applications.
Abstract:
This study examined differences in acoustic characteristics of infant cries in a sample of babies at risk for autism and a low-risk comparison group. Cry samples derived from vocal recordings of 6-month-old infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD; n = 21) and low-risk infants (n = 18) were subjected to acoustic analyses using analysis software designed for this purpose. Cries were categorized as either pain-related or non-pain-related based on videotape coding. At-risk infants produced pain-related cries with higher and more variable fundamental frequency (F (0) ) than low-risk infants. At-risk infants later classified with ASD at 36 months had among the highest F (0) values for both types of cries and produced cries that were more poorly phonated than those of nonautistic infants, reflecting cries that were less likely to be produced in a voiced mode. These results provide preliminary evidence that disruptions in cry acoustics may be part of an atypical vocal signature of autism in early life.
