Sensory Experiences in Children with Autism

描述(由申请人提供)：69%的自闭症儿童存在不寻常的感觉体验(Baranek等人，2006年)，这些被认为对发育、适应行为和家庭功能有负面影响。这些特征在行为上表现为三种感觉反应模式(低反应、高反应、感觉寻求)。本项目的目的是解释这些不寻常特征的发展过程、功能影响和发病机制，以期对早期发现和干预有所启示。我们的具体目标是：1)确定自闭症和发育迟缓儿童异常感觉特征的发展过程；2)测量自闭症儿童感觉特征对他们的适应和适应不良行为以及家庭功能的功能影响；以及3)分离与常见感觉特征表达相关的特定神经认知和背景风险因素。四项相互关联的研究(共185项)将涉及这些目标。研究1(前瞻性纵向设计)使用现有的队列来检查从学龄前(2-6岁)到学龄期(6-12岁)感觉特征的稳定性。以及这些特征对儿童/家庭结果的功能影响。研究2使用回溯性视频分析来识别婴儿期(9-18个月)自闭症儿童的感觉特征的前体，将这些特征与对照组区分开来，并预测学龄前/学龄期的发展结果。研究3使用家庭行为观察来确定引发不寻常感官反应的环境背景。实验室测量和父母和言语儿童的个人描述将补充家庭研究，以进一步阐明感官特征对日常生活中家庭功能的影响。研究4使用电生理学(ERP)来测试神经认知机制(感觉检测、辨别、非自愿定向)，这些机制被预测为构成特定感觉表型的基础。因此，在一组儿童中，来自4个发育时间点(早期婴儿期、后期婴儿期、学前期和学龄期)的汇聚数据将被确保使用混合方法来研究自闭症感觉特征的变化轨迹。我们的发现可能对理解大脑-行为联系、异常感觉特征及其发育过程的早期风险标记物，以及可能改善儿童和家庭功能的新干预策略有意义。[这些目标与NIH自闭症研究矩阵优先事项16、19、22、23和26一致。]

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Unusual sensory experiences are present in 69 percent of children with autism (Baranek et al., 2006), and these are thought to have negative consequences on development, adaptive behavior, and family functioning. These features are behaviorally expressed as 3 sensory response patterns (hyporesponsive, hyper- responsive, sensory seeking). The purpose of this project is to explain the developmental course, functional impact, and pathogenesis of these unusual features with implications for early detection and intervention. Our specific aims are to: 1) determine the developmental course of unusual sensory features in children with autism and DD; 2) measure the functional impact of sensory features in children with autism on their adaptive and maladaptive behaviors as well as family functioning; and 3) isolate specific neurocognitive and contextual risk factors that are associated with the expression of usual sensory features. Four interrelated studies (total n=185) will address these aims. Study 1 (prospective longitudinal design) uses an existing cohort to examine stability of sensory features from the preschool (2-6 yrs) to the school-age (6-12 yrs.) period, and the functional impact of these features on child/ family outcomes. Study 2 employs retrospective video analysis to identify precursors of sensory features in children with autism during infancy (9-18 months), differentiate these from controls, and predict to preschool/school-age developmental outcomes. Study 3 uses in-home behavioral observations to determine the environmental contexts that elicit unusual sensory responses. Lab measures and personal accounts of parents and verbal children will complement the in- home study to further elucidate the impact of sensory features on family functioning in daily life. Study 4 uses electrophysiology (ERP) to test neurocognitive mechanisms (sensory detection, discrimination, involuntary orienting) that are predicted to underlie specific sensory phenotypes. Thus, in a subgroup of children, convergent data from 4 developmental time points (early infancy, later infancy, preschool and school years) will be secured to study change trajectories in sensory features in autism using mixed methods. Our findings may have implications for understanding brain-behavior linkages, early risk markers of unusual sensory features and their developmental course, and novel intervention strategies that may improve child and family functioning. [These aims are consistent with NIH Autism Research Matrix priorities #16, 19, 22, 23 & 26.]