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Updated: May 23, 2025

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
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Characterization of early skill profiles for infants across varying genetic likelihoods for neurodevelopmental

A Federico1, J Bradshaw1

  • 1University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA; Carolina Autism and Neurodevelopment Research Center, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.

Infant Behavior & Development
|March 8, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in infants include social-communication and attention differences. However, similar early behavioral markers for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are not yet detectable in infants.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Pediatric Psychiatry

Background:

  • Infant behaviors in social-communication, attention, and motor domains can indicate early neurodivergence like ADHD or ASD.
  • Research on early ADHD predictors in infants is less extensive than for ASD, despite comparable profiles in older children.
  • Early diagnosis of ASD and ADHD is crucial for timely intervention and support.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine parent-reported social-communication, attention, and motor profiles in 12-month-old infants with elevated genetic likelihoods for ASD (EL-ASD) and ADHD (EL-ADHD).
  • To compare these profiles against infants with a low genetic likelihood (LL) for either disorder.
  • To identify potential early behavioral markers differentiating these infant groups.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized parent-reported data from the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales - Caregiver Questionnaire (CSBS-CG), First Year Inventory (FYI), and Early Motor Questionnaire (EMQ).
  • Compared parent responses across three groups: EL-ASD, EL-ADHD, and LL infants.
  • Focused on social skills, attention, and motor development constructs.

Main Results:

  • Infants with EL-ASD scored significantly lower on parent-reported social skills and attention (specifically, Responding to and Initiating Social Attention) compared to both LL and EL-ADHD infants.
  • The FYI attention measures also captured social communication aspects, influencing the observed differences.
  • No significant differences were found between EL-ADHD and LL infants in social-communication, motor, or attention skills, suggesting these differences are not readily detectable in infancy.

Conclusions:

  • Parent-reported social-communication and attention differences are detectable in infants with an elevated genetic likelihood for ASD.
  • Observable behavioral differences between infants with elevated genetic likelihood for ADHD and typically developing infants are not apparent during the first year of life.
  • Further research is needed to understand the developmental trajectories and early indicators of ADHD in infancy.

Keywords:
ADHDASDAttentionInfantMotorSocial-communication

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