Reduced mismatch negativity in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder is associated with their impaired adaptive functioning.
Jonathan Lassen, Bob Oranje, Martin Vestergaard and 4 others
PMID 35545929WHAT IT FOUND
In children and adolescents with autism, a smaller brain response to unexpected sounds was linked to lower parent-reported daily living skills, not to autism symptom severity.
Key findings
01Children and adolescents with autism had a smaller average brain response to unexpected sounds than matched typically developing controls.
02A smaller brain response was associated with lower parent-reported adaptive functioning in the autism group, but not in the control group.
03The brain response was not related to parent-reported autism symptoms or clinician-rated autism severity.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study measured everything at one time, so it cannot show that the brain response caused poor adaptive functioning. The groups were moderate in size, and some analyses inside the autism group may have had limited power. Adaptive functioning came only from parent report, not from teachers or clinicians. The study excluded children with intellectual disability or serious illness, so results may not apply to all children with autism. Controls were free of psychiatric diagnosis and medication, while some autistic participants had comorbidities or medication, which can make comparison harder.
The easy way to misread this
Do not use this brain response as a diagnostic test or treatment target. The study was cross-sectional, the association was with adaptive functioning rather than autism symptoms, and this response is not specific to autism.