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Cortisol Responsivity Differences in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders During Free and Cooperative Play

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders volume 43, pages 2405–2417 (2013)Cite this article

Abstract

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate significant heterogeneity in their profiles of social interaction and stress responsivity. We evaluated behavior and stress response in 52 male children ages 8–12 in a naturalistic playground interaction paradigm involving a child with ASD, a typically developing peer, and a same-age confederate. Younger children in the ASD group engaged in 5.8 times more approach behavior and showed a lower cortisol response than their older peers. Those that verbally initiated with their peers also showed a higher cortisol response. Older children with ASD exhibited the highest stress responsivity, while younger children with ASD showed more willingness to approach others without apparent stress. Intervening early and often may contribute to improvements in social engagement in youth with ASD.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by National Institute of Health R01 MH085717 awarded to Blythe Corbett. Portions of these data were completed as part of Clayton Schupp’s dissertation. We are grateful to the children and families who continue to support our research.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer Prevention Institute of California, Fremont, CA, USA

    Clayton W. Schupp

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University, PMB 40, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA

    David Simon & Blythe A. Corbett

Authors
  1. Clayton W. Schupp
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  2. David Simon
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  3. Blythe A. Corbett
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Correspondence to Blythe A. Corbett.

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Schupp, C.W., Simon, D. & Corbett, B.A. Cortisol Responsivity Differences in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders During Free and Cooperative Play. J Autism Dev Disord 43, 2405–2417 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1790-2

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Keywords

  • Autism
  • Cortisol
  • Play
  • Social
  • Stress
  • Responder