Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Italy.
Research Coordination and Support Service, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
Autism Res. 2021 Jul;14(7):1421-1433. doi: 10.1002/aur.2493. Epub 2021 Mar 1.
Delays in language are a hallmark feature of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, little is known about the predictive role of language developmental trajectories on ASD. The present study aimed at identifying early different language developmental profiles of infants at high familial risk for ASD (HR-ASD) and testing their predictive role on ASD symptoms at 2 years. The role of gestures on socio-communicative skills has also been explored. Trajectories of expressive vocabulary were investigated in 137 HR-ASD infants at 12, 18, and, 24 months of age. Parents were requested to complete the Italian version of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory and ASD symptoms were measured by ADOS-2. Latent class growth analysis defined four trajectories: above average language development group (above-average LD, 18.2%), normal language development group (NLD, 38.7%), late-onset language development group (late-onset LD, 11.7%), and a group of children with stable language delay (SLD, 31.4%). Results showed that the SLD group obtained higher communicative difficulties and restricted/repetitive behavior compared to the other groups. Examining early increase of produced gestures in the different language classes, we found fewer produced gestures between 12 and 18 months in the SLD group compared to the late-onset LD group. The results identified clusters of HR infants who follow similar estimated trajectories based on individual differences in language development. These patterns of early language acquisition, together with produced gestures, may be predictive of later ASD symptoms and useful for planning prompt intervention. LAY SUMMARY: Language/gesture deficits are hallmark features of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but the predictive role of communicative trajectories on ASD remains unclear. In a longitudinal Italian sample of infants at high familial risk for ASD (HR-ASD), we tested if language trajectories and their link with gestures can predict ASD symptoms. We found four trajectories and HR infants with a stable language delay (SLD) trajectory showed more ASD symptoms later on. SLD infants produced fewer gestures compared to late-onset language development group that show more typical communicative skills.
语言延迟是自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的一个显著特征。然而，关于语言发展轨迹对 ASD 的预测作用知之甚少。本研究旨在确定高家族风险自闭症（HR-ASD）婴儿的早期不同语言发展轨迹，并测试其对 2 岁时 ASD 症状的预测作用。还探索了手势在社交沟通技能中的作用。在 137 名 12、18 和 24 个月大的 HR-ASD 婴儿中，研究了表达词汇的轨迹。要求父母完成意大利版麦克阿瑟 - 贝茨沟通发展量表，并通过 ADOS-2 测量 ASD 症状。潜在类别增长分析定义了四个轨迹：语言发展高于平均水平组（高于平均水平 LD，18.2%）、语言发展正常组（NLD，38.7%）、语言发展迟发型组（迟发型 LD，11.7%）和语言发展稳定延迟组（SLD，31.4%）。结果表明，与其他组相比，SLD 组的沟通困难和受限/重复行为得分更高。在检查不同语言类别中早期产生的手势增加时，我们发现与迟发型 LD 组相比，SLD 组在 12 至 18 个月之间产生的手势较少。这些结果确定了基于语言发展个体差异的 HR 婴儿的相似轨迹聚类。这些早期语言习得模式，连同产生的手势，可能是对以后 ASD 症状的预测，并有助于规划及时干预。
简而言之：语言/手势缺陷是自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的标志性特征，但沟通轨迹对 ASD 的预测作用尚不清楚。在一项针对高家族风险自闭症（HR-ASD）婴儿的意大利纵向研究中，我们测试了语言轨迹及其与手势的关系是否可以预测 ASD 症状。我们发现了四个轨迹，并且具有稳定语言延迟（SLD）轨迹的 HR 婴儿后来表现出更多的 ASD 症状。与具有典型沟通技能的迟发型语言发展组相比，SLD 婴儿产生的手势较少。
