Physiological Response to Social Evaluative Threat in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
E Kale Edmiston, Robin M Jones, Blythe A Corbett
PMID 27318810WHAT IT FOUND
The change in a heart-rate measure during social evaluation did not differ between adolescent males with ASD and typical peers.
ASD males had lower levels at rest and during the task, and for those with ASD less change tracked with more social problems.
Key findings
01The study did not find a group difference in RSA change from baseline during the social stress task.
02Adolescent males with ASD had lower baseline RSA and lower RSA during the social stress task than typical adolescent males.
03Within the ASD group, lower baseline RSA was linked to higher ASD symptom severity and internalizing symptoms, and smaller RSA change during the task was linked to more social problems.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The final analysis included only 13 typical and 21 ASD adolescent males after females were removed, so it does not represent adolescent females. The study was underpowered for sex differences and the effect sizes were small, so the findings are preliminary. Participants needed an IQ of at least 70 and had to complete a cognitively demanding speech and subtraction task, so findings do not extend to those with intellectual disability. The sample excluded or limited some medications, including antipsychotics and steroids, and stimulants were withheld on the testing day, which may bias who could participate. RSA change was calculated using the lowest value during the task, so the study could not show when in the task any physiological changes happened. The social stress test was a laboratory task with a peer rater, so it may not match everyday social stress. Anxiety symptoms were not separated from ASD-related social stress in the group comparison.
Declared interests
All authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read lower RSA during the social stress task as evidence of a larger stress response in ASD. The RSA change from baseline to the task did not differ between groups, so the finding was lower overall RSA, not a distinct stress-response pattern.