Prospective Longitudinal Studies of Infant Siblings of Children With Autism: Lessons Learned and Future Directions.
Published
Journal Article (Review)
OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this review are to highlight the impact of the first decade of high-risk (HR) infant sibling work in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and to identify potential areas of translational focus for the next decade of research. METHOD: A group of clinicians and researchers in ASD working both inside and outside of the HR design met on a regular basis to review the infant sibling research, and came to an agreement on areas that had changed clinical practice and areas that had the potential to change practice with further research. The group then outlined several methodological and translational challenges that must be addressed in the next decade of research if the field is to reach its potential. RESULTS: The review concluded that the HR design has yielded an understanding that ASD often, but not always, begins to emerge between 6 and 18 months, with early signs affecting social communication. Research using the HR design has also allowed a better understanding of the sibling recurrence risk (between 10% and 20%). Emerging areas of interest include the developmental trajectories of social communications skills in the early years, the expression of a milder phenotype in siblings not affected with ASD, and the possibility that early intervention with infant siblings may improve outcomes for those with ASD. Important challenges for the future include linking screening to intervention, collecting large sample sizes while ensuring cross-site reliability, and building in capacity for replication. CONCLUSION: Although there are significant methodological and translational challenges for high-risk infant sibling research, the potential of this design to improve long-term outcomes of all children with ASD is substantial.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Szatmari, P; Chawarska, K; Dawson, G; Georgiades, S; Landa, R; Lord, C; Messinger, DS; Thurm, A; Halladay, A
Published Date
- March 2016
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 55 / 3
Start / End Page
- 179 - 187
PubMed ID
- 26903251
Pubmed Central ID
- 26903251
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1527-5418
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1016/j.jaac.2015.12.014
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- United States