The longitudinal heterogeneity of autistic traits: A systematic review

Pender, Richard; Fearon, Pasco; Heron, Jon; Mandy, William

doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2020.101671

Cited by 28 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 97 publications

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“…Rigidity was unrelated to age. These results are consistent with a recent systematic review showing lifespan declines in social ASD symptoms (e.g., analogous to aloofness and pragmatic language difficulties in the current study) but not nonsocial ASD symptoms (e.g., analogous to rigidity in the current study; Pender et al, 2020). However, this is one of the first and largest studies to examine lifespan differences (among younger, middle-aged, and older adults) in the BAP in the general population.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Because race/ethnicity was unrelated to the BAP and its subscales (see Table 1), it was not considered further (small and nonsignificant effects were also seen when it was included in the regressions reported below; βs <j0.03j). Gender did not moderate any of the age terms for the total BAP score (ps >0.51), aloofness (ps >0.08), pragmatic language difficulties (ps >0.28), or rigidity (ps >0.50), consistent with the results from a recent systematic review (Pender et al, 2020).…”

Section: Cross-sectional Age Differencessupporting

confidence: 86%

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Age differences in broader autism phenotype traits from young adulthood to older adulthood

Chopik

Nuttall

et al. 2021

Autism Research

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Much of past research has been dedicated to refining the operationalization and correlates of the broader autism phenotype (BAP) and less on how the BAP differs by socio-demographic characteristics, like age-particularly after midlife. This gap is important because other nonclinical trait-like characteristics (e.g., personality) have shown considerable age differences, leading to work assessing the malleability of psychological characteristics and improving outcomes for individuals and their significant others. In the current study, we examined cross-sectional age differences in the BAP in a large sample of adults ranging in age from 18 to 85. We recruited a sample of 2966 adults ranging in age from 18 to 85 (M age = 36.53, SD = 12.61; 58.9% Female; 1.1% with an ASD diagnosis) recruited from an online survey service. We found that total BAP scores were higher in younger adults and lower among older adults. These differences were particularly true for pragmatic language difficulties, with this component of the BAP showing the most dramatic age differences. Aloofness showed similar negative associations with age, albeit much smaller. Rigidity was not significantly associated with age. The results are consistent with other research showing an abatement of symptoms among individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) across early life and theories predicting changes in other psychological characteristics (e.g., personality). The results are discussed in the context of the malleability of ASD and BAP traits across life, the clinical implications of these changes, and the origins and consequences for lifespan differences in BAP.Lay Summary: Little is known about how subclinical autistic-like traits among middle-aged and older adults compare to younger adults. We found that these subclinical traits were highest in young adults and lowest in older adults. Knowing how these traits differ by age can provide researchers and clinicians with a sense of how much these traits might change across life, if the traits might be sensitive to interventions, and when in development it might be best to intervene.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Cross-sectional Age Differencessupporting

confidence: 86%

Age differences in broader autism phenotype traits from young adulthood to older adulthood

Chopik

Nuttall

et al. 2021

Autism Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Children with ASD represent a heterogeneous group, given the variability of their symptoms and the presence/absence of comorbidities [3][4][5]. Indeed, the core symptom intensity and severity could vary remarkably among individuals with ASD and could be associated with different atypicalities in the sensory domain, such as hyper-or hyposensitivity [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Cognitive Training Programs on Executive Function in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review

et al. 2021

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Background. Autism Spectrum Disorder is often associated with deficits in executive functions (EFs), which is contributing significantly to individuals with ASD’s difficulties in conducting an independent life, particularly considering social skills. Technologies offer promising opportunities to structure EF intervention programs for children on the autistic spectrum. Methods. This study aimed to review the effectiveness of randomized controlled trials or quasi-experimental studies of EF interventions delivered to children and young people (up to 23 years old) with a diagnosis of ASD. A special focus was dedicated to document the effectiveness of computerized and non-computerized cognitive training on (1) EFs and on (2) ASD symptomatology and social skills. Of 2601 studies retrieved, 19 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Results. Most of the interventions identified were effective in enhancing EFs and reducing symptoms in children and young people with ASD. Limited evidence is available on their generalization to untrained skills (i.e., social abilities) as well as long-term effects. Conclusions. There is growing evidence for overall effectiveness of EF training, particularly when computerized. However, caution should be taken when interpreting these findings owing to methodological limitations, the minimal number of papers retrieved, and a small samples of included studies.

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“…Particularly, the existing evidence was mostly based on the “snapshots” of age‐heterogeneous samples of children and thus might fail to detect individual deviations from typical trajectories. While there have been a growing number of studies addressing longitudinal variability of ASD symptoms, as summarized in a recent systematic review (Pender et al, 2020), there is currently no evidence on the developmental variability of sensory patterns in children with ASD and other neurodevelopmental conditions. Notably, sensory patterns are also present among non‐ASD populations given the estimated 5%–8% prevalence of elevated sensory features among school‐aged children (Ahn et al, 2004; Jussila et al, 2020), and appear to be continuously distributed across the general population (Jussila et al, 2020; Little et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developmental trajectories of sensory patterns from infancy to school age in a community sample and associations with autistic traits

et al. 2022

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This prospective study examined the latent growth trajectories of sensory patterns among a North Carolina birth cohort (N = 1517; 49% boys, 87% White) across infancy (6–19 months), preschool (3–4 years), and school years (6–7 years). Change rates of sensory hyper‐ and hyporesponsiveness better differentiated children with an autism diagnosis or elevated autistic traits from those with other developmental conditions, including non‐autistic children with sensory differences. More sensory hyper‐ and hyporesponsiveness at infancy followed by steeper increases differentially predicted more autistic traits at school age. Further, children of parents with higher education tended to show stable or improving trajectories. These findings highlight the importance of tracking sensory patterns from infancy for facilitating early identification of associated challenges and tailored support for families.

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The longitudinal heterogeneity of autistic traits: A systematic review

Cited by 28 publications

References 97 publications

Age differences in broader autism phenotype traits from young adulthood to older adulthood

Age differences in broader autism phenotype traits from young adulthood to older adulthood

Effects of Cognitive Training Programs on Executive Function in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review

Developmental trajectories of sensory patterns from infancy to school age in a community sample and associations with autistic traits

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