Paz Yael, Roth-Hanania Ronit, Gabis Lidia V, Orlitsky Tal, Zilka-Cohen Noa, Zahn-Waxler Carolyn, Davidov Maayan
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
The Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Dev Psychopathol. 2025 Aug;37(3):1416-1430. doi: 10.1017/S0954579424001226. Epub 2024 Oct 1.
Difficulties in empathy are frequent among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and often considered a core feature of autism. Reduced empathy during the second year of life has been shown to predict subsequent ASD diagnosis. However, links between empathy in the first year and ASD have not yet been investigated. Moreover, prior work focused on empathy for others' distress but not for others' joy. To address these gaps, this prospective longitudinal study followed 60 infants (33% girls), 39 at high genetic risk of ASD (siblings of children with ASD) and a matching control group. Infants' empathic responses to others' distress and happiness were assessed at ages 6, 9, and 12 months, using simulations by the mother/experimenter and videos of crying and laughing infants. Diagnosis was determined between 18 and 36 months. Infants later diagnosed with ASD showed a reduced empathic response toward a person simulating distress, but not toward a video of a crying peer, and not in response to others' joy (either in simulation or video). Overall, reduced empathic concern during the first year of life appears to be an early prodromal marker of subsequent ASD. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）患儿经常存在共情困难，这通常被视为自闭症的核心特征。研究表明，生命第二年共情能力的降低可预测随后的ASD诊断。然而，第一年的共情与ASD之间的联系尚未得到研究。此外，先前的研究主要关注对他人痛苦的共情，而非对他人快乐的共情。为填补这些空白，这项前瞻性纵向研究跟踪了60名婴儿（33%为女孩），其中39名具有较高的ASD遗传风险（ASD患儿的兄弟姐妹）以及一个匹配的对照组。在婴儿6个月、9个月和12个月大时，通过母亲/实验者的模拟以及哭泣和欢笑婴儿的视频，评估婴儿对他人痛苦和快乐的共情反应。诊断在18至36个月之间确定。后来被诊断为ASD的婴儿对模拟痛苦的人表现出共情反应减少，但对哭泣同伴的视频没有减少，对他人的快乐（无论是模拟还是视频）也没有反应。总体而言，生命第一年共情关注的减少似乎是随后ASD的早期前驱标志物。文中还讨论了该研究对理论、研究和实践的意义。
