Abstract
Play of younger siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (siblings; n = 44), very preterm children (preterms; n = 44), and children at typical likelihood for ASD (n = 36) was observed at 24 months. Children with ASD and atypical development engaged less in spontaneous (pre-)symbolic play than typically developing children. Total duration of spontaneous and elicited (pre-)symbolic play was associated with later ASD traits in siblings. However, no association between most play variables and ASD traits was found in preterms. This suggests possible different ASD-trajectories between siblings and preterms. Thus, spontaneous (pre-)symbolic play may be indicative of developmental challenges across several populations, and results highlight the need to move beyond studying only siblings in order to broaden our understanding of ASD.
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Abbreviations
- ADOS-2:
-
Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 2nd edition
- APA:
-
American Psychiatric Association
- ASD:
-
Autism Spectrum Disorder
- BAP:
-
Broader Autism Phenotype
- DSM-5:
-
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition
- EL:
-
Elevated Likelihood for ASD
- MCDI:
-
MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory
- MSEL:
-
Mullen Scales of Early Learning
- Preterms:
-
Preterm born children at elevated likelihood for ASD
- RRB:
-
Restricted Repetitive Behaviours
- SA:
-
Social Affect
- SES:
-
Socio-Economic Status
- Siblings:
-
Siblings at elevated likelihood for ASD; younger siblings of children with ASD (formerly ‘high-risk’ siblings)
- T4:
-
Research moment at 24 months
- T5:
-
Research moment at 36 months
- TL:
-
Typical Likelihood for ASD (formerly ‘low-risk’)
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Acknowledgments
FM, SB, JV and LV are supported by the Research Foundation – Flanders; Belgium (SB: FWO – 12Z8821N; FM: FWO-SBO-S001517N; JV and LV: FWO – G.0939.12N). ED en CB are supported by the Ghent University Special Research Fund (BOF13/PDO/027 and 01D21513) and EB by the Marguerite-Marie Delacroix Support Fund. MM is supported by IMI 2 Joint Undertaking under Grant Agreement No 777394, for the Project AIMS-2-TRIALS. We are thankful to all the parents and their children who participated in the study, the staff of the Centres of Developmental Disorders, the Department of Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care of the Saint-Jan General Hospital, rehabilitation centres, home guidance centres, centres for child and adolescent psychiatry and paediatricians in Flanders, Belgium. Baby Study Team: Chloè Bontinck, Eva Bruyneel, Marjolein Muès and Liedewij Verhaeghe.
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FM: Conceptualization/Methodology/Formal analysis/Investigation/Writing—Original draft/Visualization; PW: Conceptualization/Methodology/Writing—Review and Editing/Supervision; ED: Recruitment/Data Collection/Conceptualization/ Writing—Review and Editing; SB: Recruitment/Data Collection/Writing – Review last version; JV: Recruitment/Data Collection/Writing—Review last version, Baby Study Team: Recruitment/Data Collection or Data-analysis/Visualisation and Writing—Review last version; HR: Conceptualization/Methodology/Writing—Review and Editing/Supervision. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Moerman, F., Warreyn, P., Demurie, E. et al. Play in Relation to Autism Traits in Young Children at Elevated Likelihood for Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 53, 1413–1430 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05326-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05326-9