Wilson Kaitlyn P, Carter Mary W, Wiener Heather L, DeRamus Margaret L, Bulluck John C, Watson Linda R, Crais Elizabeth R, Baranek Grace T
Towson University Department of Audiology, Speech-Language Pathology, and Deaf Studies; 8000 York Road Towson, MD 21252; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of Allied Health Sciences; Bondurant Hall CB #7120 Chapel Hill, NC 27599-712;
Towson University Department of Interprofessional Health Studies; 8000 York Rd Towson, MD 21252;
Autism Dev Lang Impair. 2017 Jan-Dec;2. doi: 10.1177/2396941517713186. Epub 2017 Jun 15.
Early play behaviors may provide important information regarding later-diagnosed developmental delays. Play behaviors of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are restricted in diversity, frequency, and complexity. Most ASD research focuses on play in children over 18 months of age. This study examined three groups of infants (later diagnosed with ASD, later diagnosed with other developmental disorders, and typically developing) with the aims of: (1) describing the play behaviors of the three groups of infants at two time points (9-12 months and 15-18 months); (2) examining group differences in four hierarchical levels of play at both time points; (3) comparing groups with respect to the highest level of play achieved; and (4) determining if the highest level of play achieved by infants with developmental delays, including ASD, correlated with later developmental outcomes.
The current study used longitudinal retrospective video analysis to examine object play behaviors of the three groups of infants (total n=92) at two time points (time 1: 9-12 months of age, and time 2: 15-18 months of age). Coding of play behaviors was based on existing literature and distribution of data from the current study. Developmental outcomes examined were measured using the , , and a non-verbal developmental quotient calculated using visual reception scores from the .
Results indicate group differences in play, with infants later diagnosed with ASD showing significantly less sophisticated play than those with typical development. In addition, modest but significant correlations were found between highest level of play achieved at time 2 (15-18 months) and later outcomes for those with developmental disorders, including ASD.
Results suggest that examination of infant play behaviors is important for early screening and intervention planning to potentially mitigate effects on later developmental outcomes.
早期游戏行为可能为后续诊断的发育迟缓提供重要信息。自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）幼儿的游戏行为在多样性、频率和复杂性方面受到限制。大多数ASD研究聚焦于18个月以上儿童的游戏。本研究对三组婴儿（后来被诊断为ASD、后来被诊断为其他发育障碍以及发育正常）进行了研究，目的如下：（1）描述三组婴儿在两个时间点（9 - 12个月和15 - 18个月）的游戏行为；（2）在两个时间点考察游戏四个层次水平上的组间差异；（3）比较三组在达到的最高游戏水平方面的情况；（4）确定发育迟缓婴儿（包括ASD）达到的最高游戏水平是否与后期发育结果相关。
本研究采用纵向回顾性视频分析，在两个时间点（时间1：9 - 12个月龄，时间2：15 - 18个月龄）考察三组婴儿（共92名）的物体游戏行为。游戏行为编码基于现有文献和本研究的数据分布。所考察的发育结果使用[具体量表名称1]、[具体量表名称2]进行测量，并使用[具体量表名称3]中的视觉接收分数计算非语言发育商数。
结果表明在游戏方面存在组间差异，后来被诊断为ASD的婴儿表现出的游戏复杂性明显低于发育正常的婴儿。此外，在时间2（15 - 18个月）达到的最高游戏水平与包括ASD在内的发育障碍患者的后期结果之间发现了适度但显著的相关性。
结果表明，检查婴儿游戏行为对于早期筛查和干预计划很重要，有可能减轻对后期发育结果的影响。
