Attachment and Emotion Processing in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Neurobiological, Neuroendocrine, and Neurocognitive Considerations

Sivaratnam, Carmel; Newman, Louise; Tonge, Bruce John; Rinehart, Nicole

doi:10.1007/s40489-015-0048-7

Cited by 27 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 272 publications

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“…There are two different ways that researchers have sought to understand the physiological stress response in people with ASD. One area of research has examined whether common changes exist in the regular daily rhythms of cortisol secretion (Sivaratnam et al 2015 ). In most people, daily cortisol levels follow a general pattern, increasing significantly in the morning and then decreasing throughout the day.…”

Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, a specific altered pattern has not been found, possibly due to the significant heterogeneity within the autism spectrum (Taylor and Corbett 2014 ). Despite the absence of a particular alteration in daily cortisol rhythms, some type of dysregulation of the HPA axis in people with ASD has been a common finding across the literature (Sivaratnam et al 2015 ).…”

Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

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Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Impact of Stressful and Traumatic Life Events and Implications for Clinical Practice

Fuld

2018

Clin Soc Work J

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Research findings suggest that behavioral interventions are effective in improving educational outcomes and fostering skill development in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, high rates of comorbidity between ASD and other psychological disorders, including depression and anxiety, indicate that standard behavioral approaches are not adequately addressing issues related to mental health in this population. Research emerging since the publication of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) is advancing our understanding of the nature of childhood stress and trauma in people with ASD and its subsequent impact on mental health and wellbeing. Mounting evidence for stress and trauma as a risk factor for comorbidity and the worsening of core ASD symptoms may intimate a shift in the way clinical social workers and other clinical practitioners conceptualize and approach work with this population to include trauma-focused assessment strategies and clinical interventions. Future directions for research to better understand the nature of childhood stress and trauma and improve mental health in this population are also discussed.

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Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Impact of Stressful and Traumatic Life Events and Implications for Clinical Practice

Fuld

2018

Clin Soc Work J

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“…Despite atypical reciprocal social interactions, children with ASD might still be able to develop secure attachments to their primary caregiver [59], although reports are conflicting [60]. Reduced cognitive ability in addition to ASD core symptoms could be an important factor [61]. Nbea +/mice show impaired neurocognitive performance coinciding with increased hippocampal long-term potentiation and phosphorylation of the signaling protein CREB [41].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-weaning infant-to-mother bonding in nutritionally independent female mice

2020

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Infant-parent attachment is highly selective and continues beyond essential care in primates, most prominently in humans, and the quality of this attachment crucially determines cognitive and emotional development of the infant. Altricial rodent species such as mice (Mus musculus) display mutual recognition and communal nursing in wild and laboratory environments, but parental bonding beyond the nursing period has not been reported. We presently demonstrated that socially and nutritionally independent mice still prefer to interact selectively with their mother dam. Furthermore, we observed gender differences in the mother-infant relationship, and showed disruption of this relationship in haploinsufficient Nbea +/mice, a putative autism model with neuroendocrine dysregulation. To our knowledge, this is the first observation of murine infant-to-mother bonding beyond the nursing period.

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“…In the few studies conducted in ASD, research has shown that mothers' parenting style and parent–child reciprocity predict emotion regulation ability in children with ASD [Hirschler‐Guttenberg, Feldman, Ostfeld‐Etzion, Laor, & Golan, ; Hirschler‐Guttenberg, Golan, et al, ]. However, these studies did not exploit the underlying factors between parent–child interactions and the emotional ability of the children and, compared to TD populations, in ASD, these may involve a more complex interplay of factors [Sivaratnam et al, ]. Therefore, understanding parents' interaction with their children with ASD is of empirical and clinical relevance [Hirschler‐Guttenberg, Golan, et al, ].…”

Section: Parents' Role In Children's Emotional Difficultiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of alexithymia in parent–child interaction and in the emotional ability of children with autism spectrum disorder

2019

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Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have more emotional difficulties than typically developing (TD) children. Of all the factors that impact children's emotional development, parents, and the way they interact with their children, are of crucial importance. The present study compared the amount of parent–child interactions among 35 dyads of parents and their children with ASD and 41 dyads of parents and their TD children, aged between 3 and 13 years, during a frustration‐eliciting situation. We further examined whether children's alexithymia is linked to parent–child interactions and whether parent–child interactions are linked to children's emotional difficulties. We found that parents of children with ASD interacted significantly less with their children than parents of TD children. This reduced interaction was better explained by children's alexithymia than by children's ASD diagnosis. Finally, parent–child interaction mediated the relationship between children's ASD diagnosis and children's emotion regulation ability, as well as some aspects of children's emotional reactivity but only if not accounting for children's alexithymia levels. Our results demonstrate the determinant role children's alexithymia plays on parent–child interactions and on how these interactions are linked to children's difficulties in emotion regulation and emotional reactivity. Results are discussed in light of how parent–child interactions and the emotional ability of children with ASD can be improved by targeting children's alexithymia. Autism Res 2019, 12: 458–468 © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Lay Summary In the present research, we found that parents of children with autism interact less with their children compared to parents of typically developing children. We also found that this decreased interaction is linked to children's difficulties to recognize, describe, and distinguish emotions, a triad of difficulties known as alexithymia. Furthermore, parents' interaction with their children explains emotional reactivity and emotion regulation problems in children with autism. However, if we take into consideration children's alexithymia, then parents' interaction with their children is not related to their children's emotional difficulties in reactivity and regulation. Therefore, to improve the interaction between parents and their children with autism, and the emotional development of these children, we recommend interventions that teach children with autism how to recognize, describe, and distinguish emotions in themselves and others.

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Attachment and Emotion Processing in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Neurobiological, Neuroendocrine, and Neurocognitive Considerations

Cited by 27 publications

References 272 publications

Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Impact of Stressful and Traumatic Life Events and Implications for Clinical Practice

Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Impact of Stressful and Traumatic Life Events and Implications for Clinical Practice

Post-weaning infant-to-mother bonding in nutritionally independent female mice

The role of alexithymia in parent–child interaction and in the emotional ability of children with autism spectrum disorder

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