Divergent biases for conspecifics as early markers for Autism Spectum Disorders

描述（由申请人提供）：典型的发育中的婴儿有基本的知觉偏差，将他们的注意力引导到与社会相关的刺激上，如声音和面孔。被诊断为自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的儿童在听觉和视觉处理上表现出明显的缺陷，即他们自己的物种（同种）的声音和面孔。我们提出了一种前瞻性的、实验性的、纵向的方法来研究缺乏基本知觉偏见的婴儿是否更有可能发展为ASD症状特征的社会沟通技能缺陷。通过关注基础和物种典型的感知过程，而不是复杂的技能，我们希望与现有的高风险兄弟姐妹研究相比，发现早期可靠的标记和机制理解。这项提议有两个短期目标。第一个目标是通过检查幼年婴儿如何感知声音和面孔，以及他们自己物种的社会相关特征，来帮助识别那些后期有ASD典型社交障碍风险增加的婴儿。第二个目标是揭示基本偏见的缺陷可能增加ASD典型的后期社会障碍风险的机制。这种前瞻性的实验方法与目前的观察方法相吻合，例如父母和医生报告的检查清单，但通过检查发育机制可以指导干预。为了实现这些目标，我们将重点放在被诊断为ASD的儿童（他们有19%的复发风险，认知或语言困难的可能性增加）的晚出生的兄弟姐妹，以及一组正常发育的兄弟姐妹。我们将测试婴儿在4- 6个月时是否表现出对生物刺激的听觉偏好（人类语言胜过非语言声音，人类面孔胜过非面孔）；他们是否在7-9个月时表现出对同种刺激的偏好（人类语言优于非人类灵长类动物的发声，人类面孔优于非人类灵长类动物的面孔）；如果他们能在10-12个月的时候理解语言和面部的功能（将语言与人脸相匹配，并理解语言可以让人们进行交流）。在这些年龄段，我们将使用自闭症观察量表-婴儿收集父母投入，全球认知发展，语言发展和ASD行为的观察措施，并使用自闭症诊断观察时间表跟踪儿童直到24和36个月的潜在诊断。我们将研究婴儿群体之间的群体差异。我们将研究个体婴儿的发展轨迹，将早期的偏见与后来的能力联系起来，并研究父母投入的中介作用。这个项目的长期目标是在明显的ASD之前，帮助在个体层面上早期识别高危婴儿的非典型发育

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Typically developing infants have fundamental perceptual biases that direct their attention to socially relevant stimuli such as voices and faces Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show apparent deficits in auditory and visual processing of the voices and faces of their own species (conspecifics). We propose a prospective, experimental, longitudinal approach examining whether infants who lack foundational perceptual biases to attend to auditory and visual characteristics of conspecifics are more likely to develop deficits in social communication skills that are characteristic of ASD symptomology. By focusing on foundational and species-typical perceptual processes rather than complex skills, we hope to uncover earlier reliable markers and a mechanistic understanding compared with existing studies with high-risk siblings. This proposal has two short-term goals. The first goal is to help identify very young infants who have an increased risk for later social impairments typical of ASD by examining how they perceive voices and faces, the socially-relevant characteristics of their own species. The second goal is to uncover mechanisms by which deficits in fundamental biases might increase risk for later social impairments typical of ASD. This prospective experimental approach dovetails with current observational approaches such as parent- and physician- reported checklists, but by examining developmental mechanisms could direct intervention. To meet these goals, we focus on later-born siblings of children diagnosed with ASD (who have a 19% risk of recurrence, and increased probability of cognitive or language difficulties), and a comparison group of typically developing siblings. We will test whether infants show a listening preference for biological stimuli at 4- 6 months (human speech over non-speech sounds, human faces over non-faces); whether they show a preference for conspecific stimuli at 7-9 months (human speech over non-human primate vocalizations, human faces over non-human primate faces); and if they understand functional aspects of speech and faces at 10-12 months (matching speech to human faces, and understanding that speech allows people to communicate). Across these ages, we will collect observational measures of parental input, global cognitive development, linguistic development, and ASD behaviors using the Autism Observation Scale- Infants, and follow children until potential diagnosis at 24 and 36 months using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. We will examine group differences between infant groups. We will examine individual infants' developmental trajectories, linking early biases to later abilities, an examine the mediating role of parental input. This project's long-term goal is to help early identification of atypical development at an individual level in high-risk infants before overt ASD behaviors emerge by focusing on fundamental perceptual biases, and ultimately guide early intervention across a broad ASD phenotype. This research thus aims to identify high-risk infants before the full ASD behavioral profile can be characterized through standard observational protocols. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Our studies aim to characterize mechanisms of early atypical development in individual infants, which could help guide early intervention across a broad Autism Spectrum Disorders phenotype. First, the findings from this research program will help identify infants who have an increased risk for later social impairments typical of Autism Spectrum Disorders by examining how they perceive voices and faces, the socially-relevant characteristics of their own species. Second, these findings may help guide development of a valid and reliable screening tool for early identification of atypical development in individual at risk infants before children start to show the full behavioral profile of Autism Spectrum Disorders.