Developmental Contributions of Emotion Regulation and Joint Attention in the Emergence of Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Author / Creator

  Raza, Sarah

• Current research efforts are focused on identifying the developmental pathways leading to the emergence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Prospective studies of infants at an increased likelihood of ASD report difficulties in emotional regulation (ER) and coordination of social attention (i.e., joint attention) among the earliest signs of ASD, appearing by 12 months of age. How these early-developing processes interact to predict ASD emergence is poorly understood. As such, multimodal, observational studies in infant siblings of children diagnosed with ASD are needed, as ascertainment of likelihood status does not depend on clinical ascertainment, thus an earlier developmental period can be examined. This dissertation examined the developmental relations between early ER and joint attention in infants who were at an increased likelihood (IL; have an older sibling with ASD) and low likelihood (LL; no family history of ASD) of an ASD diagnosis. Three areas were investigated: (1) the interrelations between early ER and social communication in typical development; (2) the relationship between behavioral affect and physiological arousal as measures of ER in IL and LL infants; and (3) how behavioral affect and physiological indices of ER can predict joint attention and ASD symptoms in IL and LL infants. IL and LL infants were assessed and compared at multiple time points during the first two years of life to track the development of ER and joint attention. Behavioral and physiological indices of ER were measured at 6, 12, and 18 months during an emotion-eliciting task called the Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery. Joint attention was measured at 18 months using a modified version of the Early Social Communication Scales, and ASD symptoms were measured at 18 and 24 months. The results indicated that there was a relationship between ER and joint attention, as well as ER and ASD symptoms, among IL infants who were later classified with ASD. Moreover, joint attention was also related to ASD symptoms in both IL and LL infants. Taken together, the findings indicated that there is a developmental relationship between ER and joint attention during infancy, which in turn influences the emergence of ASD. That is, a complex interplay between emotion dysregulation and early deficits in joint attention may influence the emergence of ASD in IL infants. Results are discussed in relation to theoretical models on the developmental link between ER and social communication skills.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • emotion regulation
  • social communication
  • joint attention
  • autism spectrum disorder

• Graduation date

  Fall 2022

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Doctor of Philosophy

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-9s47-0h91

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Library with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.