Beyond autism: Challenging unexamined assumptions about social motivation in typical development

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Bartsch ◽  
David Estes
Keyword(s):  
Social Interest ◽  
Social Motivation ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
New Approaches

Abstract In challenging the assumption of autistic social uninterest, Jaswal & Akhtar have opened the door to scrutinizing similar unexamined assumptions embedded in other literatures, such as those on children's typically developing behaviors regarding others’ minds and morals. Extending skeptical analysis to other areas may reveal new approaches for evaluating competing claims regarding social interest in autistic individuals.

scholarly journals Effects of Task Constraints on Kinematic Characteristics of Body Segments in Children with Cerebral Palsy and Children with Typical Development during Hand-Reaching

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (23) ◽  
pp. 11140
Author(s):  
Yun-Huei Ju ◽  
Rong-Ju Cherng
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Postural Control ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Postural Alignment ◽  
Reaching Tasks ◽  
Children With Cerebral Palsy

Background: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have difficulty in managing postural control during functional reaching tasks, although children with different postural control ability are able to come up with different motor solutions to cope with different task demands. This study examined the effect of task constraint on postural control performance in children with cerebral palsy and typical development (TD) in terms of different postural control abilities. Methods: A cross-sectional research design was used. Twelve children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy (mean age: 107.8 months) and 16 typically developing children (mean age: 110.9 months) participated in this study. Individually, all subjects were seated in a height-adjusted chair and were requested to reach for target(s) located at three different directions (medial, anterior, and lateral). A six-camera Qualisys Motion Capture System was used to capture motion data. Kinematic data in terms of body alignment and angular changes were analyzed. Results: Children with cerebral palsy demonstrated different postural control strategies to complete different reaching tasks compared to typically developing children by preparing postural alignment in advance, coordinating different body orientation movements during reaching after showing difficulty in managing reach medially. Conclusions: Children with cerebral palsy perceive their insufficient ability and prepare their alignment in advance to adapt to the task demanded and decrease the postural challenges of the task. Even though children with cerebral palsy self-generate different motor solutions to reach without falling, these alternative strategies might not be the most efficient adaptation.

scholarly journals Sex Differences in Functional Connectivity of the Salience, Default Mode, and Central Executive Networks in Youth with ASD

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 5107-5120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine E Lawrence ◽  
Leanna M Hernandez ◽  
Hilary C Bowman ◽  
Namita T Padgaonkar ◽  
Emily Fuster ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Central Executive ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Matched Sample ◽  
Biological Factors ◽  
Default Mode

Abstract Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with the altered functional connectivity of 3 neurocognitive networks that are hypothesized to be central to the symptomatology of ASD: the salience network (SN), default mode network (DMN), and central executive network (CEN). Due to the considerably higher prevalence of ASD in males, however, previous studies examining these networks in ASD have used primarily male samples. It is thus unknown how these networks may be differentially impacted among females with ASD compared to males with ASD, and how such differences may compare to those observed in neurotypical individuals. Here, we investigated the functional connectivity of the SN, DMN, and CEN in a large, well-matched sample of girls and boys with and without ASD (169 youth, ages 8–17). Girls with ASD displayed greater functional connectivity between the DMN and CEN than boys with ASD, whereas typically developing girls and boys differed in SN functional connectivity only. Together, these results demonstrate that youth with ASD exhibit altered sex differences in these networks relative to what is observed in typical development, and highlight the importance of considering sex-related biological factors and participant sex when characterizing the neural mechanisms underlying ASD.

scholarly journals Development of the Stanford Social Dimensions Scale: initial validation in autism spectrum disorder and in neurotypicals

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer M. Phillips ◽  
Mirko Uljarević ◽  
Rachel K. Schuck ◽  
Salena Schapp ◽  
Elizabeth M. Solomon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Root Mean Square ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Social Motivation ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Mean Square ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
Initial Validation

Abstract Background The aim of this paper was to provide an initial validation of a newly developed parent questionnaire—the Stanford Social Dimensions Scale (SSDS), designed to capture individual differences across several key social dimensions including social motivation in children and adolescents with and without psychiatric disorders. Methods The initial validation sample was comprised of parents of 175 individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (35 females, 140 males; Mage = 7.19 years, SDage = 3.96) and the replication sample consisted of 624 parents of children who were either typically developing or presented with a range of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders (302 females, 322 males; Mage = 11.49 years, SDage = 4.48). Parents from both samples completed the SSDS and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2). Results Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling indicated that a 5-factor model provided adequate to excellent fit to the data in the initial ASD sample (comparative fit index [CFI] = .940, Tucker-Lewis Index [TLI] = .919, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = .048, standardized root mean square residual [SRMR] = .038). The identified factors were interpreted as Social Motivation, Social Affiliation, Expressive Social Communication, Social Recognition, and Unusual Approach. This factor structure was further confirmed in Sample 2 (CFI = 946, TLI = .930, RMSEA = .044, SRMR = .026). Internal consistency for all subscales was in the good to excellent range across both samples as indicated by Composite Reliability scores of ≥ .72. Convergent and divergent validity was strong as indexed by the pattern of correlations with relevant SRS-2 and Child Behavior Checklist domains and with verbal and non-verbal intellectual functioning scores in Sample 1 and with the Need to Belong Scale and Child Social Preference Scale scores in Sample 2. Across both samples, females had higher social motivation and expressive social communication scores. Discriminant validity was strong given that across all SSDS subscales, the ASD sample had significantly higher impairment than both the typically developing group and the group with other clinical conditions, which in turn, had significantly higher impairment than the typically developing group. Conclusions Our findings provide initial validation of a new scale designed to comprehensively capture individual differences in social motivation and other key social dimensions in ASD.

scholarly journals Object-directed imitation in autism spectrum disorder is differentially influenced by motoric task complexity, but not social contextual cues

Autism ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 199-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lacey Chetcuti ◽  
Kristelle Hudry ◽  
Megan Grant ◽  
Giacomo Vivanti
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Social Motivation ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Motor Execution ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Socially Responsive

We examined the role of social motivation and motor execution factors in object-directed imitation difficulties in autism spectrum disorder. A series of to-be-imitated actions was presented to 35 children with autism spectrum disorder and 20 typically developing children on an Apple® iPad® by a socially responsive or aloof model, under conditions of low and high motor demand. There were no differences in imitation performance (i.e. the number of actions reproduced within a fixed sequence), for either group, in response to a model who acted socially responsive or aloof. Children with autism spectrum disorder imitated the high motor demand task more poorly than the low motor demand task, while imitation performance for typically developing children was equivalent across the low and high motor demand conditions. Furthermore, imitative performance in the autism spectrum disorder group was unrelated to social reciprocity, though positively associated with fine motor coordination. These results suggest that difficulties in object-directed imitation in autism spectrum disorder are the result of motor execution difficulties, not reduced social motivation.

scholarly journals Pronoun Comprehension in Individuals With Down Syndrome: Deviance or Delay?

2014 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 1442-1452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eirini Sanoudaki ◽  
Spyridoula Varlokosta
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Language Comprehension ◽  
Selection Task ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Pilot Studies ◽  
Deficit Model ◽  
Reflexive Pronouns ◽  
Heated Debate

Purpose Results of recent pilot studies suggest that the interpretation of pronouns in individuals with Down syndrome (DS) may follow a pattern unattested in typical development, indicating the presence of a selective deficit targeting the comprehension of reflexive pronouns. These findings come at a time when there is a heated debate surrounding pronoun comprehension in typical development as well. This study aims to contribute to these debates by examining pronoun comprehension in Greek, a language that exhibits unusual patterns in pronoun comprehension in typical development. Method Seven Greek-speaking individuals with DS and a control group of 14 typically developing (TD) children were tested. The authors examined the comprehension of strong pronouns, reflexive pronouns, and pronominal clitics, using a picture selection task. Results The data reveal evidence of deviant pronoun comprehension in individuals with DS compared with the TD group. The DS group encountered problems in the interpretation of reflexive pronouns when compared with the TD group, while the performance of the two groups was comparable in all remaining conditions. Conclusions Findings are in line with the selective deficit model of language comprehension in DS, supporting the presence of a cross-linguistic reflexive deficit.

scholarly journals Daytime Sleep Patterns in Preschool Children With Autism, Developmental Delay, and Typical Development

2011 ◽  
Vol 116 (2) ◽  
pp. 142-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J Schwichtenberg ◽  
Ana-Maria Iosif ◽  
Beth Goodlin-Jones ◽  
Karen Tang ◽  
Thomas Anders
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Children ◽  
Developmental Delay ◽  
Developmental Disability ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Parent Report ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Sleep Patterns ◽  
Daytime Sleep ◽  
Sleep Diaries

Abstract The present study examined daytime sleep patterns in 3 groups of preschool-aged children: children with autism, children with developmental delay, and children who were developing typically. Sleep was assessed in 194 children via actigraphy and parent-report sleep diaries for 7 consecutive days on 3 separate occasions over 6 months. Children with autism napped less often and for shorter periods of time than children with developmental disability, with whom they were matched on chronologic age. Children with developmental disabilities napped more like children in the typically developing group, who were, on average, 6 months younger. Each group displayed an expected shift in daytime sleep as more children matured out of their naps.

scholarly journals Production and Processing of Subject–Verb Agreement in Monolingual Dutch Children With Specific Language Impairment

2014 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 952-965 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elma Blom ◽  
Nada Vasić ◽  
Jan de Jong
Keyword(s):  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Specific Language ◽  
Verb Agreement ◽  
Test Sensitivity ◽  
Third Person ◽  
Listening Task ◽  
Dutch Children

Purpose In this study, the authors investigated whether errors with subject–verb agreement in monolingual Dutch children with specific language impairment (SLI) are influenced by verb phonology. In addition, the productive and receptive abilities of Dutch acquiring children with SLI regarding agreement inflection were compared. Method An SLI group (6–8 years old), an age-matched group with typical development, and a language-matched, younger, typically developing (TD) group participated in the study. Using an elicitation task, the authors tested use of third person singular inflection after verbs that ended in obstruents (plosive, fricative) or nonobstruents (sonorant). The authors used a self-paced listening task to test sensitivity to subject–verb agreement violations. Results Omission was more frequent after obstruents than nonobstruents; the younger TD group used inflection less often after plosives than fricatives, unlike the SLI group. The SLI group did not detect subject–verb agreement violations if the ungrammatical structure contained a frequent error (omission), but if the ungrammatical structure contained an infrequent error (substitution), subject–verb agreement violations were noticed. Conclusions The use of agreement inflection by children with TD or SLI is affected by verb phonology. Differential effects in the 2 groups are consistent with a delayed development in Dutch SLI. Parallels between productive and receptive abilities point to weak lexical agreement inflection representations in Dutch SLI.

Early Differences in Pre-Intentional Communication Patterns between Children with Typical Development and Children with Complex Communication Needs

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 166-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia Cress
Keyword(s):  
Receptive Language ◽  
Communication Patterns ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Interaction Patterns ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Communicative Interaction ◽  
Communication Behaviors ◽  
Intentional Communication ◽  
Complex Communication Needs ◽  
Communication Needs

Although children with complex communication needs (CCN) may be identified during infancy, there is little information on systematic differences in social and communicative interaction patterns from typical expectations, particularly during the pre-intentional period. This article summarizes conclusions drawn from a research study (Cress et al., 2013) that contrasted pre-intentional communication behaviors in typically developing infants at 6–7 months with pre-intentional communication behaviors in children with CCN at an average of 20 months chronological age, and average 6–7 months receptive language age equivalence scores. Behaviors in both groups were analyzed from structured play video samples using coding from the Infant Social and Communication Behavior Scales (ISCBS), a prototype assessment of pre-intentional communication in infants (Cress, Olsen, Sabers, & Wetherby, 2012). Multiple differences emerged in communication patterns between these two groups at similar points in receptive language development that indicate very early divergence of social and communication patterns demonstrated by young children with CCN from typical expectations.

Compensation to Altered Auditory Feedback in Children With Developmental Language Disorder and Typical Development

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Caitlin Coughler ◽  
Emily Michaela Hamel ◽  
Janis Oram Cardy ◽  
Lisa M. D. Archibald ◽  
David W. Purcell
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Feedback ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Shift Condition ◽  
Vowel Space ◽  
Processing Component ◽  
Speech Motor

Purpose Developmental language disorder (DLD), an unexplained problem using and understanding spoken language, has been hypothesized to have an underlying auditory processing component. Auditory feedback plays a key role in speech motor control. The current study examined whether auditory feedback is used to regulate speech production in a similar way by children with DLD and their typically developing (TD) peers. Method Participants aged 6–11 years completed tasks measuring hearing, language, first formant (F1) discrimination thresholds, partial vowel space, and responses to altered auditory feedback with F1 perturbation. Results Children with DLD tended to compensate more than TD children for the positive F1 manipulation and compensated less than TD children in the negative shift condition. Conclusion Our findings suggest that children with DLD make atypical use of auditory feedback.

Sensory and Perceptual Abilities in People With Down Syndrome

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armando Bertone ◽  
Jacalyn Guy ◽  
Christina Marcone
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Sensory Level ◽  
Refractive Errors ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Perceptual Performance ◽  
Practical Information ◽  
Perceptual Abilities ◽  
Learning And Instruction

During typical development, the efficiency with which distinct image attributes, objects such as faces, and emotions are analyzed depends on the development of ocular functioning (sensory level) and brain mechanisms mediating perceptual abilities (neural level). Compared to typically developing individuals, ocular differences are more frequent in persons with Down syndrome (DS) and include an increased incidence of refractive errors, i.e. hyperopia and myopia, and difficulties with accommodation (focusing up close). In most cases, these conditions can be corrected with bifocals, resulting in greatly improved literary skills that underlie reading, particularly for younger persons with DS. In addition, individuals with DS seem to benefit from the spatially structured presentation of visual material when learning, another accommodation that can be implemented during instruction. Finally, although not specific to DS, young children and adults with DS generally identify and recognize emotions less efficiently than do persons without DS. However, among persons with DS, these difficulties seem to be more pronounced for more intense emotions, including fear and anger. In sum, visual profiles based on sensory and perceptual performance can advance our understanding of atypical information processing among persons with DS, as well as provide practical information aimed at improving learning and instruction.

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