Object exploration at 6 and 9 months in infants with and without risk for autism
Erin A Koterba1, Nina B Leezenbaum, Jana M Iverson
11University of Tampa, USA.
Insights
Infants at high risk for autism spectrum disorder show delays in exploring objects by mouth and hand. These early differences in infant object exploration may impact later development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental psychology
- Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Infant behavior
Background:
- Infants explore objects using visual, oral, and manual actions during their first year.
- Object exploration provides crucial perceptuo-motor information for cognitive and language development.
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition impacting social interaction and communication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate developmental trajectories of visual, oral, and manual object exploration in infants.
- To compare object exploration patterns in infants with and without heightened risk for ASD.
- To examine these patterns before the age of 1 year.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 31 infants was studied at 6 and 9 months of age.
- 15 infants had a heightened risk for ASD due to an older sibling diagnosed with ASD.
- Infants interacted with sounding and nonsounding rattles during observation periods.
Main Results:
- Infants with heightened risk for ASD demonstrated delayed object exploration compared to low-risk infants.
- Differences in visual, oral, and manual exploration were observed.
- The study identified specific patterns of exploration differences in high-risk infants.
Conclusions:
- Delayed object exploration in infancy may be an early indicator for neurodevelopmental differences.
- These early exploration delays could have cascading effects on later cognitive and language development.
- Findings highlight the importance of early perceptuo-motor experiences in infant development and risk for ASD.
Abstract:
During the first year of life, infants spend substantial amounts of time exploring objects they encounter in their daily environments. Perceptuo-motor information gained through these experiences provides a foundation for later developmental advances in cognition and language. This study aims to examine developmental trajectories of visual, oral, and manual object exploration in infants with and without risk for autism spectrum disorder before the age of 1 year. A total of 31 infants, 15 of whom had an older sibling with autism and who were therefore at heightened risk for autism spectrum disorder, played with sounding and nonsounding rattles at 6 and 9 months of age. The results suggest that heightened-risk infants lag behind their low-risk peers in the exploration of objects. The findings are discussed in terms of how delays in object exploration in infancy may have cascading effects in other domains.
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