Autonomic Activity and Relations with Social Development in Infants at Low and High Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder - Research across both typically- and atypically-developing populations has suggested that difficulties
regulating the autonomic nervous system (ANS) could contribute to impairments in social behavior. When the
two branches of the ANS, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system
(PNS), are working together successfully, it is theorized that a calm physiological state can be achieved that
supports successful social responding. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a group typified by
social impairments, have shown atypicalities in the functioning of both the PNS (e.g., lower cardiac vagal tone)
and the SNS (e.g., higher arousal), as well as associations between ANS dysfunction and social difficulties.
Based on our own recent work, we further posit that links between ANS dysfunction and atypical social
development might relate to a broader set of sub-clinical characteristics that could be shared across individuals
with ASD and their unaffected relatives. The present study will prospectively follow a group of infant siblings
of children with ASD, a group with as high as a 1 in 5 chance of also developing the disorder (as compared to 1
in 68 in the general population) in order to look for early markers of atypical ANS activity that might be
predictive of social difficulties. Infants at high risk for ASD (HRA) and low-risk controls (LRC; infants with no
family history of ASD) will be followed from 6 to 18 months of age. Using eye-tracking and physiological
recording methods, we will assess ANS functioning through pupil size, heart rate (HR), and skin conductance
responses (SCR) at baseline and during emotional face processing tasks. Aspects of social and general
functioning will also be evaluated through lab assessments and caregiver questionnaires. The major objectives
of this work are to a) better understand differences in ANS functioning in HRA and LRC infants during the first
year of life, and b) identify early atypicalities in ANS responses that might relate to concurrent and predictive
measures of social behavior in both groups. This study is, to our knowledge, the first to focus on measures of
both branches of the ANS (SNS and PNS) in HRA infants. This work has the potential to help in the
identification of early markers of atypical social development, including symptoms relating to ASD, as well as
broader characteristics that might also be found in unaffected relatives. Since early intervention is associated
with more effective outcomes, improving early identification of developmental difficulties is essential for giving
children the best chance of reaching their full potential. This project will expose College of Staten Island
students to this broad public health goal and allow them to take active roles in conducting this
methodologically-advanced and clinically-relevant study.
