The relationship between autism symptoms and arousal level in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder, as measured by electrodermal activity.
Emily Barbara Prince, Elizabeth S Kim, Carla Anne Wall and 5 others
PMID 27289132WHAT IT FOUND
Toddlers with autism had larger increases in skin conductance, a skin-based arousal measure, during a communication assessment than typically developing toddlers.
The assessment included toys and social interaction. The study was small and did not test treatment.
Key findings
01Toddlers with autism showed significantly greater change in skin conductance level than typically developing toddlers during the communication assessment.
02Skin conductance change varied by toy type for all toddlers, with passive toys producing the least change and temptation activities producing the most.
03In toddlers with autism, social affect and language scores did not correlate with skin conductance change, while restricted and repetitive behaviour scores showed different correlations for passive and mechanical toys.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was small, and four participants were excluded because of technical issues or low skin conductance response. The assessment was semi-structured, and the time spent with each toy varied between children. Movement artifacts were not accounted for in the skin conductance analysis. The study looked only at overall skin conductance level change, not at the timing or size of individual skin conductance responses. The study did not test an intervention, so it cannot show that lowering arousal would change symptoms. The correlations with restricted and repetitive behaviour were limited to a small number of toddlers with autism.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the skin conductance difference as proof that autism is caused by heightened arousal or as a reason to change therapy. The study was small, excluded four toddlers, did not account for movement artifacts, and measured an association during one communication assessment.