Infants at Risk of Autism: A Longitudinal Study

描述（由申请人提供）：本申请是一项针对自闭症风险婴儿的纵向研究（R01 MH 068398，2003年7月1日至2008年6月30日）的竞争性更新。在资助的前五年，进行了一项跨站点研究（加州大学戴维斯分校和加州大学洛杉矶分校），其中180名自闭症儿童的兄弟姐妹与90名典型发育儿童的兄弟姐妹进行了比较，这些兄弟姐妹在广泛的行为任务中测量了对早期自闭症表型重要的结构。在这次竞争性更新中，我们要求额外的资金来招募一个新的婴儿兄弟姐妹样本，并在他们入学时纵向跟踪原始样本。基于我们之前的发现，在6个月和12个月大的行为症状几乎没有差异，与新样本一起使用的实验措施将集中在潜在的过程中，这些过程可能会揭示出处于危险中的儿童在出现行为障碍迹象之前的差异。与加州大学洛杉矶分校的合作将继续进行新的样本和以前样本的纵向随访。具体目标是：目标1：确定可靠的标志物，区分自闭症或ASD的儿童与其他或没有发育迟缓的儿童，检查症状的发作和潜在的潜在机制，看看轨迹何时出现分歧，在什么领域（研究1：新确定的婴儿兄弟姐妹样本）。目标2：在前一个奖励期招募的自闭症儿童的兄弟姐妹样本中，检查自闭症和PDDNOS诊断的稳定性，并通过评估6岁时的功能来识别后来出现的发育问题（研究2：对以前的婴儿兄弟姐妹样本进行纵向随访）。这项研究的长期目标是了解自闭症的早期特征，从而设计出更好的筛查和识别工具。在第一项研究中，自闭症儿童的婴儿兄弟姐妹将在他们一岁生日前参加这项研究，然后通过自闭症发展的风险窗口跟踪到3岁，看看这种疾病可以在多早的时候被识别出来，并与其他类型的发育迟缓区分开来。在研究2中，在前一个奖励期招募的婴儿兄弟姐妹的样本将被跟踪，因为他们开始上学（6岁），以检查自闭症诊断的稳定性，并确定以后出现的发展问题。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application is a competitive renewal of a longitudinal study of infants at risk for autism (R01 MH068398, 7/1/03 - 6/30/08). In the first five years of funding, a cross-site study (UC Davis and UCLA) was conducted in which 180 siblings of children with autism were compared to 90 siblings of children with typical development on a wide array of behavioral tasks measuring constructs important to the very early autism phenotype. In this competitive renewal, we request additional funds to recruit a new sample of infant siblings and to follow longitudinally the original sample as they enter school. Based on our previous findings of few differences in behavioral symptoms at 6 and 12 months of age, experimental measures used with the new sample will focus on underlying processes that may reveal differences in at-risk children prior to the onset of behavioral signs of disorder. Collaboration with UCLA will continue for both the new sample and the longitudinal follow-up of the previous sample. Specific aims are to: AIM 1: Identify reliable markers that differentiate children with autism or ASD outcomes from children with other or no developmental delays, examining both onset of symptoms and potential underlying mechanisms to see when trajectories diverge and in what domains (Study 1: newly ascertained infant sibling sample). AIM 2: In the sample of siblings of children with autism recruited in the prior award period, examine stability of autism and PDDNOS diagnoses and identify later-appearing developmental problems by assessing functioning at age 6 (Study 2: longitudinal follow up of previous infant sibling sample). PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE The long-term goal of this research is to understand the earliest features of autism, leading to the design of better screening and identification tools. In study 1, infant siblings of children with autism will be enrolled in the study before their first birthday and then followed until age 3, through the window of risk for autism development, to see how early the disorder can be identified and differentiated from other types of developmental delays. In study 2, the sample of infant siblings recruited in the prior award period will be followed as they begin school (age 6) to examine the stability of autism diagnoses and identify later-appearing developmental problems.