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Twenty-four-month effortful control predicts emerging autism characteristics.
Roisin C Perry1,2, Mark H Johnson2,3, Tony Charman4
1IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society, London, UK.
Developmental Science
|September 6, 2024
Summary
Infant effortful control skills predict autism characteristics by age 3, especially in those with a family history. Sensorimotor skills also play a role, particularly when effortful control is lower.
Area of Science:
- Developmental psychology
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Longitudinal research is crucial for understanding the developmental trajectories of neurodevelopmental conditions.
- Early identification of risk factors for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can inform early intervention strategies.
- Sensorimotor and effortful control skills are recognized as potential early indicators in neurodevelopmental research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the longitudinal relationships between infant sensorimotor and effortful control skills and the emergence of autism characteristics.
- To examine the predictive power of these skills on autism characteristics at 3 years of age.
- To explore the influence of familial likelihood and socioeconomic factors on these developmental pathways.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 340 infants (240 with elevated familial autism likelihood) assessed from 4-36 months.
- Utilized parent-reported temperament (effortful control) and cognitive/sensorimotor assessments (Mullen Scales of Early Learning).
- Employed random intercept cross-lagged panel modeling and multiple regression analyses to examine skill relationships and predictive validity.
Main Results:
- Sensorimotor skills longitudinally predicted effortful control from 12-15 months onward.
- Effortful control skills from infancy predicted autism characteristics at 36 months, with increasing strength by age.
- Effortful control was a stronger predictor in infants with elevated familial likelihood for autism, and sensorimotor skills interacted with effortful control.
Conclusions:
- Early effortful control skills are significant predictors of later autism characteristics, particularly in high-risk infants.
- The interplay between sensorimotor and effortful control skills may be critical in the emergence of the autism phenotype.
- Findings support theoretical frameworks like Developmental Cascades and Anterior Modifiers in understanding neurodevelopmental trajectories.
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