Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT.
Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT.
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2018 Nov;57(11):828-836.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2018.07.872. Epub 2018 Aug 29.
There is a prevailing notion that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit intense negative and attenuated positive emotions, although the empirical evidence regarding their emotional expressiveness (EE) is limited. Given the importance of emotions in shaping social and cognitive development, we examined intensity and valence of EE and links between EE and autism severity and parent-reported temperament in ASD.
Toddlers (aged 21.2 months) with ASD (n = 43), developmental delay (DD, n = 16), and typical development (TD, n = 40) underwent standardized probes designed to induce anger, joy, and fear. Intensity of EE through facial and vocal channels were coded offline. Autism severity and temperament were quantified using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 (ADOS-2) and Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire (ECBQ).
The ASD group exhibited less intense fear compared to both the DD and TD groups, more intense anger than DD but not TD, with no differences in joy intensity. All groups showed similar levels of incongruous negative EE. Intensity of fear and anger were not associated with severity of autism symptoms, but lower intensity of joy was related to greater autism severity. Expressed fear and joy were associated with temperament.
The study provides no support for a negative emotionality bias in ASD. Instead, toddlers with ASD display a muted response to threat and an accentuated response to goal blockage, whereas the ability to express positive emotions appears intact. Negative emotionality and social disability dimensions are independent. The study demonstrates the complexity of EE in ASD and motivates investigations into underlying mechanisms as well as its role in shaping complex phenotypes of affected children.
有一种普遍的观点认为,自闭症谱系障碍(ASD)儿童表现出强烈的负面情绪和减弱的正面情绪,尽管关于他们情绪表达(EE)的实证证据有限。鉴于情绪在塑造社交和认知发展方面的重要性,我们研究了 ASD 儿童 EE 的强度和效价,以及 EE 与自闭症严重程度和家长报告的气质之间的关系。
21.2 个月大的自闭症儿童(n=43)、发育迟缓儿童(n=16)和典型发育儿童(n=40)接受了旨在诱发愤怒、喜悦和恐惧的标准化探针。离线编码通过面部和声音通道的 EE 强度。使用自闭症诊断观察量表-2(ADOS-2)和幼儿行为问卷(ECBQ)量化自闭症严重程度和气质。
与 DD 和 TD 组相比,ASD 组表现出较弱的恐惧强度,比 DD 组表现出更强的愤怒强度,但与 TD 组没有差异,喜悦强度没有差异。所有组都表现出类似水平的不协调的负面 EE。恐惧和愤怒的强度与自闭症症状的严重程度无关,但喜悦的强度较低与自闭症严重程度较大有关。表达的恐惧和喜悦与气质有关。
该研究不支持 ASD 中的负性情绪偏向。相反,ASD 儿童对威胁的反应迟钝,对目标受阻的反应强烈,而表达积极情绪的能力似乎完好无损。负性情绪和社交障碍维度是独立的。该研究展示了 ASD 中 EE 的复杂性,并促使人们对潜在机制及其在塑造受影响儿童复杂表型中的作用进行研究。