Prediction and Early Language Development in Young Children with ASD

摘要 语言延迟通常是自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）幼儿的父母最关心的问题之一， 早期语言能力预测自闭症儿童的更广泛的结果。然而， ASD儿童的潜在语言缺陷尚未明确。语言学的一个重要组成部分 行为是在学习和处理过程中使用预测或期望。一些研究人员 最近提出了ASD的预测赤字账户。预测账户的基本假设是， 信息是通过进行预测和测试与预期的违背（预测误差）来处理的。 灵活的（神经典型的）大脑将不同的权重归因于预测误差，以确定新的学习何时开始。 然而，ASD患者被认为对预测误差分配了不成比例的权重。这些 预测缺陷被假设为导致更高水平的感知新奇，导致“超可塑性”。 学习基于最近的输入。这项拟议中的项目将是第一个研究语言是否 ASD幼儿的缺陷与非典型领域一般预测过程有关。七项研究 提出了以下具体目标：（1）确定ASD幼儿的能力， 预测相比，典型的发展（TD）同龄人;（2）以确定是否与ASD幼儿表现出 相对于TD同龄人的学习超可塑性;（3）检查某些儿童特征 预测ASD幼儿预测行为和超可塑性的个体差异;以及（4）建立 语言/视觉任务的预测行为或学习的超可塑性是否预测词汇和/或 自闭症儿童一年后的句法能力。样本将由75名ASD幼儿组成 （三个队列，25名幼儿）和75名TD对照在认知（原始评分）、SES和性别上分布匹配。 在这个项目中，我们将利用预期眼动（AEM）和边看边听（LWL）的方法， 研究有和没有ASD幼儿视觉和语言任务的预测。研究1（听觉）和2 （视觉）检查预测的索引由AEM的条件下，发生的概率， 事件相对稳定。研究3（语言）和4（非语言）将探讨学习的可塑性， AEM任务，其中事件的概率发生变化，预测必须更新。研究5将探索 超可塑性的背景下，新的词学习使用LWL任务。研究6将考察 儿童特征（认知，语言，自闭症症状严重程度）和预测之间的关系。在研究7中， 研究1-5的表现将用于预测同一样本的幼儿一年的语言能力 之后（从18-35个月到30-47个月）使用标准化任务和在线增量语言处理 任务所有的研究都是为了最小的任务要求，以包括ASD幼儿在一个 广泛的功能。这项研究的结果将为ASD表型提供重要的新见解 以及语言发展的潜在机制，这可能为干预开辟新的途径。

Abstract Language delay is often one of the first concerns of parents of toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and early language abilities predict broader outcomes for children on the autism spectrum. Yet, mechanisms underlying language deficits in children with ASD remain unspecified. One prominent component of linguistic behavior is the use of predictions or expectations during learning and processing. Several researchers have recently posited prediction-deficit accounts of ASD. The basic assumption of the prediction accounts is that information is processed by making predictions and testing violations against expectations (prediction errors). Flexible (neurotypical) brains attribute differential weights to prediction errors to determine when new learning is appropriate, while individuals with ASD are thought to assign disproportionate weight to prediction errors. These prediction deficits are hypothesized to lead to higher levels of perceived novelty, resulting in `hyperplasticity' of learning based on the most recent input. The proposed project will be the first study to examine whether language deficits in young children with ASD are linked to atypical domain-general prediction processes. Seven studies are proposed to address the following Specific Aims: (1) to determine the ability of toddlers with ASD to generate predictions compared to typically developing (TD) peers; (2) to establish whether toddlers with ASD exhibit hyperplasticity of learning relative to TD peers; (3) to examine the extent to which certain child characteristics predict individual variability in predictive behavior and hyperplasticity in toddlers with ASD; and (4) establish whether predictive behavior or hyperplasticity of learning on verbal/visual tasks predicts vocabulary and/or syntactic ability one year later in young children with ASD. The sample will be comprised of 75 ASD toddlers (three cohorts of 25 toddlers) and 75 TD controls distribution-matched on cognition (raw scores), SES, and sex. In this project we will utilize anticipatory eye movements (AEMs) and looking-while-listening (LWL) methods to investigate prediction in visual and verbal tasks in toddlers with and without ASD. Studies 1 (auditory) and 2 (visual) examine prediction as indexed by AEMs under conditions in which probabilities of the occurrence of events are relatively stable. Studies 3 (verbal) and 4 (nonverbal) will investigate hyperplasticity of learning in AEM tasks in which probabilities of the events change and predictions must be updated. Study 5 will explore hyperplasticity within the context of novel word learning using a LWL task. Study 6 will examine the relationship between child characteristics (cognition, language, autism symptom severity) and prediction. In Study 7, performance on Studies 1-5 will be used to predict language abilities in the same sample of toddlers one year later (from 18-35 mo to 30-47 mo) using both standardized tasks and an online incremental language processing task. All studies were developed to have minimal task demands in order to include toddlers with ASD across a wide range of functioning. Findings from this research will provide important new insights into ASD phenotypes and mechanisms underlying language development that could open new pathways for intervention.