| 1. |
- Andersson Konke, Linn, 1984-
(författare)
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Early Self-Regulation in Infant Siblings : Specific and Shared Associations to Emerging Autism and Co-ocurring ADHD
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The overall aim of this thesis was to examine aspects of self-regulation and the emergence of co-occurring autism and ADHD traits early in life, to enhance our understanding of specific and shared mechanisms underlying these conditions. Previous studies have shown that vulnerabilities in temperament and executive functions (EF) are closely related to both conditions, with overlapping as well as specific features associated to each phenotype. However, most previous studies focus on older children, and it is unclear if specific and shared markers are evident already before symptoms of autism and ADHD emerge. By using an infant-sibling design we were able to follow infants with a family history of autism and/or ADHD, before clinical symptoms emerge. Study I and II focused on infant temperament as either predictors of later autistic and/or ADHD traits or as being predicted by familial quantitative traits, to understand specific and shared associations to autistic and ADHD traits. In Study I, we examined if temperament traits in 1.5-year olds predict autism and ADHD traits at 3 years. Parent-rated temperament showed specific associations to autistic or ADHD traits, respectively. We found some overlap in regulation difficulties across both trait domains. In Study II, we explored the possibility to use probands’ autistic and ADHD traits to predict temperament traits in their 10-month old infant siblings (a between-individual design). We found that higher levels of probands’ autistic symptoms were specifically associated to lower levels of infant sibling’s approach, whereas higher levels of proband’s ADHD symptoms were specifically associated to increased activity levels in the infant siblings. Proband autism and ADHD traits thus provide unique information about the infant siblings’ temperament. Study III focused on specific and shared links between executive functions and deferred gratification and concurrent associations to autistic traits, ADHD traits, and adaptive behaviors in 3-year-olds. We found that deferred gratification may function as a protective factor, moderating autistic traits and adaptive behaviors and thus act as a buffer for adaptive behaviors Together, these studies contribute to our understanding of specific and shared early aspects of self-regulation and their associations to autistic and/or ADHD traits.
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| 2. |
- Falck-Ytter, Terje, Professor, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
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Social attention : Developmental foundations and relevance for autism spectrum disorder
- 2023
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Ingår i: Biological Psychiatry. - : Elsevier. - 0006-3223 .- 1873-2402. ; 94:1, s. 8-17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The use of the term Social Attention (SA) in the cognitive neuroscience and developmental psychopathology literature has increased exponentially in recent years, in part motivated by the aim to understand the early development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Unfortunately, theoretical discussions around the term have lagged behind its various uses. Here, we evaluate SA through a review of key candidate SA phenotypes emerging early in life, from newborn gaze cueing and preference for face-like configurations to later emerging skills such as joint attention. We argue that most of the considered SA phenotypes are unlikely to represent unique socio-attentional processes but have to be understood in the broader context of bottom-up and emerging top-down (domain-general) attention. Some types of SA behaviors (e.g., initiation of joint attention) are linked to the early development of ASD, but this may reflect differences in social motivation rather than attention per se. Several SA candidates are not linked to ASD early in life, including the ones that may represent uniquely socio-attentional processes (e.g., orienting to faces, predicting others’ manual action goals). Although SA may be a useful super-ordinate category under which one can organize certain research questions, the widespread use of the term without proper definition is problematic. Characterizing gaze patterns and visual attention in infants at elevated likelihood for ASD in social contexts may facilitate early detection, but conceptual clarity regarding the underlying processes at play are needed to sharpen research questions and identify potential targets for early intervention.
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| 3. |
- Thorup, Emilia, et al.
(författare)
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What are you looking at? : Gaze following with and without target objects in ASD and typical development
- 2022
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Ingår i: Autism. - : Sage Publications. - 1362-3613 .- 1461-7005. ; 26:7, s. 1668-1680
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display difficulties with response to joint attention in natural settings but often perform comparably to typically developing (TD) children in experimental studies of gaze following. Previous work comparing infants at elevated likelihood for ASD versus TD infants has manipulated aspects of the gaze cueing stimulus (e.g. eyes only versus head and eyes together), but the role the peripheral object being attended to is not known. In this study of infants at elevated likelihood of ASD (N?=?97) and TD infants (N?=?29), we manipulated whether or not a target object was present in the cued area. Performance was assessed at 10, 14, and 18?months, and diagnostic assessment was conducted at age 3 years. The results showed that although infants with later ASD followed gaze to the same extent as TD infants in all conditions, they displayed faster latencies back to the model?s face when (and only when) a peripheral object was absent. These subtle atypicalities in the gaze behaviors directly after gaze following may implicate a different appreciation of the communicative situation in infants with later ASD, despite their ostensively typical gaze following ability.Lay abstractDuring the first year of life, infants start to align their attention with that of other people. This ability is called joint attention and facilitates social learning and language development. Although children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are known to engage less in joint attention compared to other children, several experimental studies have shown that they follow other?s gaze (a requirement for visual joint attention) to the same extent as other children. In this study, infants? eye movements were measured at age 10, 14, and 18?months while watching another person look in a certain direction. A target object was either present or absent in the direction of the other person?s gaze. Some of the infants were at elevated likelihood of ASD, due to having an older autistic sibling. At age 3?years, infants were assessed for a diagnosis of ASD. Results showed that infants who met diagnostic criteria at 3?years followed gaze to the same extent as other infants. However, they then looked back at the model faster than typically developing infants when no target object was present. When a target object was present, there was no difference between groups. These results may be in line with the view that directly after gaze following, infants with later ASD are less influenced by other people?s gaze when processing the common attentional focus. The study adds to our understanding of both the similarities and differences in looking behaviors between infants who later receive an ASD diagnosis and other infants.
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| 4. |
- Valtakari, Niilo V., et al.
(författare)
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A field test of computer-vision-based gaze estimation in psychology
- 2024
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Ingår i: Behavior Research Methods. - : Springer. - 1554-351X .- 1554-3528. ; 56:3, s. 1900-1915
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Computer-vision-based gaze estimation refers to techniques that estimate gaze direction directly from video recordings of the eyes or face without the need for an eye tracker. Although many such methods exist, their validation is often found in the technical literature (e.g., computer science conference papers). We aimed to (1) identify which computer-vision-based gaze estimation methods are usable by the average researcher in fields such as psychology or education, and (2) evaluate these methods. We searched for methods that do not require calibration and have clear documentation. Two toolkits, OpenFace and OpenGaze, were found to fulfill these criteria. First, we present an experiment where adult participants fixated on nine stimulus points on a computer screen. We filmed their face with a camera and processed the recorded videos with OpenFace and OpenGaze. We conclude that OpenGaze is accurate and precise enough to be used in screen-based experiments with stimuli separated by at least 11 degrees of gaze angle. OpenFace was not sufficiently accurate for such situations but can potentially be used in sparser environments. We then examined whether OpenFace could be used with horizontally separated stimuli in a sparse environment with infant participants. We compared dwell measures based on OpenFace estimates to the same measures based on manual coding. We conclude that OpenFace gaze estimates may potentially be used with measures such as relative total dwell time to sparse, horizontally separated areas of interest, but should not be used to draw conclusions about measures such as dwell duration.
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| 5. |
- Viktorsson, Charlotte, et al.
(författare)
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Infants’ sense of approximate numerosity : Heritability and link to other concurrent traits
- 2023
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Ingår i: Developmental Science. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1363-755X .- 1467-7687. ; 26:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract The ability to perceive approximate numerosity is present in many animal species, and emerges early in human infants. Later in life, it is moderately heritable and associated with mathematical abilities, but the etiology of the Approximate Number System (ANS) and its degree of independence from other cognitive abilities in infancy is unknown. Here, we assessed the phenotypic specificity as well as the influence of genetic and environmental factors on the ANS in a sample of 5-month-old twins (N = 514). We found a small-to-moderate but statistically significant effects of genetic factors on ANS acuity (heritability = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.33), but only when differences in numerosity were relatively large (1:4 ratio). Non-verbal ability assessed with the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) was found to be heritable (0.47; 95% CI: 0.34, 0.57) and the phenotypic association between ANS acuity and non-verbal ability performance was close to zero. Similarly, we found no association between ANS acuity and general attention during the task. An unexpected weak but statistically significant negative association between ANS auity and scores on the receptive language scale of the MSEL was found. These results suggest that early ANS function may be largely independent from other aspects of non-verbal development. Further, variability in ANS in infancy seems to, to some extent, reflect genotypic differences in the population. Assessing 514 infant twins with eye tracking, we found that infant’s sense of approximate numerosity is heritable and not positively associated with concurrent attentional, cognitive or motor abilities. These results have implications for our understanding of development of mathematical ability and the link between cognitive abilities early in postnatal life.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Achermann, Sheila, et al.
(författare)
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Parents' experiences from participating in an infant sibling study of autism spectrum disorder
- 2020
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Ingår i: Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. - : Elsevier BV. - 1750-9467 .- 1878-0237. ; 69
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background:Prospective longitudinal studies of infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) play an important role in advancing our knowledge about early developmental pathways in ASD. Despite this clear benefit, currently little is known about potential risks or disadvantages for participating families. As a first step in addressing this issue, we asked parents about their experiences from participating in an infant sibling study.Method:Eighty-eight families responded to a questionnaire examining parents' experiences from participating in an infant sibling study. The questions assessed parents' satisfaction with the study, the child's perceived satisfaction, and the parents' motivation for participating. The study included parents of two groups, (1) infants with an older sibling diagnosed with ASD (HR, high risk, n = 43) and (2) infants with no familial history of ASD (LR, low risk, n = 21).Results:The results indicated that parents are generally positive about study participation and few disadvantages were reported. This pattern was mirrored when splitting parents' responses into the two groups. There was no indication for group differences between parents of infants at high risk and low risk for ASD.Conclusion:Our findings present a first step into understanding parents' experiences from participating in an infant sibling study. Most parents were satisfied with participation in the study and only few disadvantages were reported. Our results have implications for ethical discussions about benefits and risks regarding infant sibling studies in various fields.
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| 8. |
- Achermann, Sheila
(författare)
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Prediction in Typical and Atypical Development
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Forming predictions about what is going to happen next is a crucial ability that develops early in life. Theory and some empirical evidence suggest that predictive abilities may be impaired in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The overarching aim of this thesis is to investigate early measures of prediction in relation to concurrent and later outcomes in typical and atypical development, with a particular focus on ASD and related behavioral problems.In Study I, we used motion capture technology to examine prospective motor control and its relationship to executive functions in typically developing 18-month-olds. Our findings showed that motor control is associated with executive functioning in infancy.Study II investigated motor control in infants at low and elevated likelihood for ASD and examined how these measures relate to later development. We found group differences as well as similarities in motor control in 10-months-olds with and without a familial history of ASD. Early motor measures were related to general developmental level, but not ASD symptomatology in toddlerhood.Using eye tracking, Study III examined how infants with later ASD and neurotypical infants form predictions about visual object motion. Our findings indicated that infants with later ASD were able to form predictions about object motion and adapt to simple changes in motion patterns, and that their performance did not differ from the performance of neurotypical infants.In Study IV, we surveyed parents about their experiences during participation in an infant sibling study of ASD as a first step to understanding the benefits and risks associated with this type of research. Parents were generally positive about their experiences both from their own perspective as well as, the child’s perspective.This thesis illustrates the potential of using advanced technology, such as motion tracking and eye tracking, to study and compare prediction in typical and atypical development. It points to the important role of prediction and motor control for child development, but fails to find a specific link to ASD.
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| 9. |
- Achermann, Sheila, et al.
(författare)
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Updating Expectations about Unexpected Object Motion in Infants Later Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of autism and developmental disorders. - : Springer Nature. - 0162-3257 .- 1573-3432. ; 51:11, s. 4186-4198
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In typical development, infants form predictions about future events based on incoming sensory information, which is essential for perception and goal-directed action. It has been suggested that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) make predictions differently compared to neurotypical individuals. We investigated how infants who later received an ASD diagnosis and neurotypical infants react to temporarily occluded moving objects that violate initial expectations about object motion. Our results indicate that infants regardless of clinical outcome react similarly to unexpected object motion patterns, both in terms of gaze shift latencies and pupillary responses. These findings indicate that the ability to update representations about such regularities in light of new information may not differ between typically developing infants and those with later ASD.
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| 10. |
- Balkenius, Christian, et al.
(författare)
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Pupillary Correlates of Emotion and Cognition : A Computational Model
- 2019
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Ingår i: 2019 9th International IEEE/EMBS Conference On Neural Engineering (NER). - : IEEE. - 9781538679210 ; , s. 903-907
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In addition to controlling the influx of light to the retina, the pupil also reacts as a result of cognitive and emotional processing. This makes it possible to use pupil dilation as an index for cognitive effort and emotional arousal. We show how an extended version of a computational model of pupil dilation can account for pupillary contagion effects where the pupil of an observer dilates upon seeing another person with dilated pupils. We also show how the model can reproduce the effects of cognitive effort in a math exercise. Furthermore, we investigate how the model can account for different explanations for the abnormal pupil response seen in individuals with or at risk for autism spectrum disorder. The reported computer simulations illustrate the usefulness of system-level models of the brain in addressing complex cognitive and emotional phenomena.
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