A short-term longitudinal study of correlates and sequelae of attachment security in autism

Abstract

In this short-term longitudinal study, 30 preschool-aged children with autism were first observed in Ainsworth’s Strange Situation Procedure and, separately, interacting with the primary caregiver in the home. One year later, each child completed both a developmental assessment and an observational assessment of empathic responding. Behaviors typical for children with autism were distinguished from behaviors suggestive of relationally based attachment disorganization. Forty-five percent of the children were classified as securely attached. The secure group demonstrated language skills superior to those of the insecurely attached group, concurrently and during the follow-up. Compared to parents of children who were insecurely attached, parents of securely attached children were rated as more sensitive. Compared to both organized insecure and disorganized children, secure children were rated as more responsive to an examiner’s apparent distress during the follow-up relative to their ratings at intake, whereas empathy ratings of children with insecure classifications did not increase. Importantly, attachment security was associated with empathy above and beyond the contribution of children’s language level. These results indicate that the sequelae of attachment security in autism may be similar to those documented for typically developing children.

Increased eye contact during parent-child versus clinician-child interactions in young children with autism

“…The increased eye contact with parents is in line with prior work showing that children with ASD are just as likely as typically developing children to have a secure attachment style with their parents (Rogers, Ozonoff, & Maslin-Cole, 1991;Rozga et al, 2018;Sigman & Mundy, 1989). Our results are also consistent with literature demonstrating that children display clear preferences early in life for their parents over unfamiliar adults (Dixon et al, 1981;Melinder, Forbes, Tronick, Fikke, & Gredeback, 2010).…”

Disorganized attachment in infancy: a review of the phenomenon and its implications for clinicians and policy-makers

“…For instance, stereotypic behaviors would be discounted by trained coders if they suspect that the infant has a neurological or developmental disorder (e.g. Capps, Sigman, & Mundy, 1994; Rozga et al, in press; Dozier & Bernard, 2017). …”

Behavioral Problems and Mother-Child Interaction in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…The study found that with severe manifestations on the mother's side of anxiety, insensitivity to the child's signals, rigidity, intrusiveness and unpredictability in the interaction, the presence of negative physical contact with the child, as well as irritation, a low level of reciprocity and organization of the interaction process; a large number of different behavioral disorders are noted in a child. Interpreting these results from a systemic point of view, we can conclude that, when faced with the negative manifestations of the parent, the child's anxiety and / or fear intensifies (Belsky, 2005;Cibralic et al, 2018;McKenzie & Dallos, 2017;Rozga et al, 2018). These feelings reduce the quality of their attention, can enhance the desire to avoid, distance themselves from interaction, and also manifest themselves in defiant behavior, the function of which can be to respond to feelings of fear, anxiety or anger.…”