Atypical Response to Caregiver Touch in Infants at High Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Area of Science:

• Neurodevelopmental disorders
• Infant behavioral research
• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research

Background:

• Atypical responses to tactile input correlate with socio-communicative deficits in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• Early detection of ASD can significantly improve intervention outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate overt orienting responses to caregiver touch in 12-month-old infants at high risk for ASD.
• To compare these responses between infants with and without a later ASD diagnosis and low-risk controls.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study tracking 12-month-old infants at high risk for ASD (HRA) and a low-risk comparison group.
• Observation of infant orienting behaviors in response to caregiver-initiated touch.
• Later diagnostic assessment using Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) for severity scoring.

Main Results:

• Infants who later received an ASD diagnosis were less likely to shift attention to caregiver touch.
• When attention was shifted, these infants were more prone to orienting away from the touch.
• Failure to respond to touch at 12 months predicted higher ADOS severity scores at outcome.

Conclusions:

• Atypical orienting responses to caregiver touch in infancy may be an early indicator of ASD.
• This behavioral marker could inform early identification and intervention strategies for autism spectrum disorder.