Predictors of Parent Responsiveness to 1-Year-Olds At-Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Jessica L Kinard, John Sideris, Linda R Watson and 4 others
PMID 27785592WHAT IT FOUND
Parents of 12-month-olds at risk for autism who were less responsive to sensory input and communicated less tended to talk less and play more physically.
This shift may reduce verbal language input during a critical period for communication development.
Key findings
01When infants communicated less and showed stronger sensory hypo-reactivity, parents used fewer verbal comments and more physical play actions.
02Child communication and sensory hypo-reactivity together predicted up to 22% of the variance in parent play actions and 16% in verbal follow-in responses.
03Sensory hyper-reactivity did not consistently predict parent responsiveness, unlike hypo-reactivity.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was predominantly White, non-Hispanic, and from high socioeconomic backgrounds, limiting generalizability to other cultural or economic groups. Infants were identified via community screening, so the range of scores in social-communication and sensory domains was restricted compared to a broader population. The study measured associations at a single time point before intervention, so it cannot determine whether parent behavior caused child outcomes or vice versa. Hispanic families were excluded from recruitment due to language barriers in assessment, further restricting demographic diversity.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the increase in physical play as a lack of responsiveness. The study shows parents adapted their behavior to the infant's low communication and hypo-reactivity, which may be a functional strategy for engagement, even if it reduces verbal input.