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Friday, May 16, 2008
Champagne Terrace/Bordeaux (Novotel London West)
Background: The median age for diagnosing a child with autism is between 3 and 4, thus limiting opportunities for very early intervention. Some progress has been made in identifying manifestations of autism at around 12 months of age in infant siblings of children with ASD. For example, Zwaigenbaum and colleagues found that by 12 months, high-risk infants who later met diagnosis for ASD scored on at least 7 of 18 behavioral markers on the Autism Observation Scale for Infants (AOSI).
Objectives: One important goal of research is to push back the age at which the earliest signs of autism can be reliably identified in order to maximize opportunities for intervention at optimal developmental stages.
Methods: In the current project we employ high-density event-related potentials (ERPs) and eye tracking to examine risk for ASD among infants at high risk for autism (by virtue of having at least one affected sibling). Infants are being studied at 3, 6, 12 months. Using ERPs and eye tracking, we are examining the discrimination of mother vs. stranger face.
Results: To date we have obtained usable ERP data from 28 children. Preliminary inspection of the data suggests that at 3 and 6 months, the mid-latency negative component (NC) in both groups is distinguishing mother’s vs. stranger’s face . However, at 9 months it appears that for the at-risk group the Nc and P400 is faster to mother (and for the NC, larger), whereas the PSW is larger to stranger. The control group Nc is larger to stranger, the PSW is larger to mother and the P400 is faster to stranger. Behavioral data are currently being analyzed.
Conclusions: This project will lay the groundwork to identify early neurobehavioral risk markers in facial processing for ASD and language impairment.
Objectives: One important goal of research is to push back the age at which the earliest signs of autism can be reliably identified in order to maximize opportunities for intervention at optimal developmental stages.
Methods: In the current project we employ high-density event-related potentials (ERPs) and eye tracking to examine risk for ASD among infants at high risk for autism (by virtue of having at least one affected sibling). Infants are being studied at 3, 6, 12 months. Using ERPs and eye tracking, we are examining the discrimination of mother vs. stranger face.
Results: To date we have obtained usable ERP data from 28 children. Preliminary inspection of the data suggests that at 3 and 6 months, the mid-latency negative component (NC) in both groups is distinguishing mother’s vs. stranger’s face . However, at 9 months it appears that for the at-risk group the Nc and P400 is faster to mother (and for the NC, larger), whereas the PSW is larger to stranger. The control group Nc is larger to stranger, the PSW is larger to mother and the P400 is faster to stranger. Behavioral data are currently being analyzed.
Conclusions: This project will lay the groundwork to identify early neurobehavioral risk markers in facial processing for ASD and language impairment.