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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Neonatal neurobehavior in infants with autism spectrum disorder
Jessica Bradshaw1, Dexin Shi1, Cassandra L Hendrix2
1Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
Insights
Early attention differences in infants later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were identified. Object-focused attention deficits by 2-3 months predicted later social-communication challenges in children with ASD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by social-communication deficits.
- Early identification and intervention are crucial for improving outcomes in ASD.
- Understanding early neurobehavioral markers can aid in timely diagnosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prospectively investigate neurobehavioral maturation in neonates with an elevated familial likelihood of ASD.
- To identify early indicators of ASD within the first three months of life.
- To examine the relationship between early neurobehavior and later social-communication skills.
Main Methods:
- Prospective longitudinal study of 60 infants (1-3 months old) with elevated or low familial risk for ASD.
- Monthly neurobehavioral assessments.
- Clinical best-estimate evaluation at 2 years to diagnose ASD (18 infants with ASD, 36 typically developing).
- Repeated-measures ANOVA to analyze age, group, and interaction effects.
Main Results:
- Neurobehavioral maturation was comparable between infants with and without later ASD diagnosis from 1-3 months.
- A significant deficit in object-focused attention was observed in infants later diagnosed with ASD starting at 2-3 months.
- This early attentional difference predicted social-communication skills at 2 years.
Conclusions:
- Object-focused attention is a potential early biomarker for ASD, detectable within the first three months of life.
- Attentional vulnerabilities in infancy may contribute to the development of social-communication challenges in ASD.
- This study highlights the importance of assessing early attentional development in high-risk infants.
Aim:
To investigate neurobehavioral maturation for neonates who are later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Method:
In a prospective longitudinal design, neonatal neurobehavior was examined monthly in 1- to 3-month-old infants at elevated and low familial likelihood of ASD (n=60). At 2 years, infants were seen for a clinical best-estimate evaluation, resulting in 18 infants with ASD and 36 typically developing infants. Repeated-measures analysis of variance models were conducted to examine the effects of age, diagnostic group, and their interactions.
Results:
Neurobehavioral maturation of infants diagnosed with ASD was largely comparable to typically developing infants from 1 to 3 months, with the exception of the development of attention. Object-focused attention was significantly attenuated for infants with ASD beginning at 2 to 3 months and was predictive of social-communication skills 2 years later.
Interpretation:
This is the first study to prospectively examine neonatal neurobehavior of infants at an elevated familial likelihood of ASD who later received a diagnosis. Despite relatively intact neurological and behavioral maturation in the neonatal period, attention to objects emerged as a key early indicator of ASD. This suggests a complex attentional vulnerability within the first 3 months of life that may be associated with cascading sequelae of social-communication challenges and the emergence of ASD.
