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Positive Affect in Infant Siblings of Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

Research on the expression of positive affect in young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) suggests that differences in this domain emerge late in the first year or early in the second year. However, many previous studies in this area employed retrospective research methods and global rating schemes. In the current study, the expression of positive affect was examined prospectively at ages 6, 12, and 18 months in three groups: infant siblings with ASD, infant siblings without ASD, and low-risk comparison infants. Infant siblings were the younger brothers or sisters of children diagnosed with ASD and, therefore, had a higher familial risk of ASD. The frequency and duration of smiles were coded from video excerpts from the Autism Observation Scale for Infants (Bryson, Zwaigenbaum, McDermott, Rombough, and Brian 2008), a standardized, play-based assessment of early signs of ASD. Results indicated that at 12 months, infant siblings with ASD had a lower rate of smiling than the other two groups. At 18 months, infant siblings with ASD continued to display a lower rate of smiling than infant siblings without ASD, but not comparison infants. Overall, these results indicate that infant siblings with ASD demonstrate less positive affect than infant siblings without ASD and low-risk comparison infants at 12 months. This suggests that reduced smiling may be an informative behavioural risk marker for ASD by children’s first birthdays and may have implications for our understanding of atypical social development in children with ASD.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Autism Speaks Canada. During the course of this project, Jillian Filliter was supported by funding from the Killam Trusts and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, as well as an Autism Speaks Dennis Weatherstone Predoctoral Fellowship (#7427). She was also a trainee of the CIHR-funded Autism Research Training Program. Lonnie Zwaigenbaum holds the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation Chair in Autism Research and is supported by an Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions Health Scholar Award. Isabel Smith holds the Joan and Jack Craig Chair in Autism Research at Dalhousie University; Susan Bryson held the Craig Chair during the period in which the study was conducted. We would like to thank the Infant Sibling Study and Autism Research Centre staff (including Theresa McCormick, Jessica Soley, Vickie Armstrong, Jillian Boyd, Megan Fisher, and Samantha Chaulk), as well as the families who have participated in our infant sibling research, for their ongoing dedication to this work.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada

    Jillian H. Filliter, Julie Longard, Michael A. Lawrence, Isabel M. Smith & Susan E. Bryson

  2. Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

    Lonnie Zwaigenbaum

  3. Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Jessica Brian & Wendy Roberts

  4. Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Jessica Brian

  5. Department of Psychology, Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB, Canada

    Nancy Garon

  6. Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University and IWK Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada

    Isabel M. Smith & Susan E. Bryson

  7. Department of Psychology, Peel Children’s Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Caroline Roncadin

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  1. Jillian H. Filliter
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  2. Julie Longard
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  3. Michael A. Lawrence
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  9. Wendy Roberts
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  10. Susan E. Bryson
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Correspondence to Susan E. Bryson.

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Filliter, J.H., Longard, J., Lawrence, M.A. et al. Positive Affect in Infant Siblings of Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Abnorm Child Psychol 43, 567–575 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-014-9921-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-014-9921-6

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