Development of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia in Young Infants With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Preterm Birth, and Typical Development.
Jessica Bradshaw, John E Richards, Julia Yurkovic-Harding and 1 others
PMID 40878855WHAT IT FOUND
Infants born preterm showed lower heart rate variability in the first 6 months, but this difference vanished when age was corrected for prematurity.
Infants later diagnosed with autism showed higher variability from 9 to 24 months. These physiological differences were not explained by cognitive or language skills.
Key findings
01Preterm infants had lower RSA and mean interbeat interval than full-term infants during the first 6 months of life when using chronological age, but these differences disappeared when age was corrected for prematurity.
02Infants diagnosed with ASD at 24 months showed accelerated growth in RSA and mean interbeat interval from 9 to 24 months, resulting in significantly higher values compared to typically developing infants.
03Cognitive and language scores did not significantly influence RSA or mean interbeat interval trajectories, and group differences remained unchanged when these factors were included as covariates.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Attrition was unevenly distributed, with higher loss among female infants, Black, Asian, and mixed-race families, and caregivers with lower educational attainment, which may limit generalizability. The study had a small number of preterm infants diagnosed with ASD, preventing a direct comparison between PT-ASD and EL-ASD groups. Diagnoses were made at 24 months, and while generally stable, some participants might not maintain an ASD diagnosis at age 3 or beyond. The wide range of gestational ages in the preterm group (28-36 weeks) and lack of detailed medical histories limit conclusions about how specific early complications affect autonomic development. Parenting behavior, a known factor in autonomic regulation, was not examined.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, and the University of South Carolina ASPIRE.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that the elevated RSA observed in infants with ASD reflects a deficit in social engagement or regulation. The authors propose it may reflect reduced social monitoring or enhanced attentional regulation, but the study does not measure behavior during the resting periods, so the functional meaning of this physiological difference remains unknown.
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