Pathways to peer interaction in ASD and TD through individual and dyadic joint-action motor abilities

PurposeAny social engagement, especially with peers, requires children’s effective activation of social and motor mechanisms. Children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often display dysfunctions both in individual motor functioning (e.g., fine/gross) and in dyadic joint action (JA), where two partners coordinate movement toward a shared goal. Yet, these mechanisms’ contribution to peer interaction has been underexplored.MethodThis study examined the contribution of individual motor functioning and JA performance to peer interaction (cooperation, attentiveness, social engagement, and dyadic quality), while comparing children and adolescents’ (youngsters) with ASD versus those with typical development (TD).ResultsResults indicated more competent peer interaction in TD than in ASD. Interestingly, only the ASD group showed significant maturation with age for social engagement and dyadic interaction quality, calls for further examination of developmental trajectories. However, even the oldest participants with ASD continued to lag behind the youngest TD group. Also, findings indicated that better individual motor functioning and JA performance explained better peer interactive competence; yet, the contribution of individual motor functioning to social cooperation and dyadic quality was moderated by JA performance. Thus, youngsters’ individual motor system was found to be an important contributor to peer interaction in those with low to moderate JA coordination capabilities, but not for those with high JA.ConclusionResults emphasize possible distinct contributions of each motor mechanism and their interaction for facilitating social interaction, hence, encouraging incorporation of individual and dyadic motor skills explicitly into social interaction interventions for youngsters ASD

Predicting Friendship Quality in Autism Spectrum Disorders and Typical Development

The role played by social relationship variables (attachment security; mother–child relationship qualities) and social-cognitive capacities (theory of mind) was examined in both observed friendship behaviors and in children’s descriptions of friendships (age 8–12) with high functioning children with autism spectrum disorders (HFASD) (n = 44) and with typical development (TYP) (n = 38). Overall, half of the HFASD sample (54.45%) reported maternal attachment security, corroborating data from younger children with ASD. The hypothesized predictors and their interrelations had both direct and indirect effects on friendship for both groups of children, highlighting the importance of these factors in children’s friendship development and suggesting both compensatory and amplification mechanisms for friendship qualities. Practical and clinical implications are discussed for friendship support in both ASD and TYP

Abstract Reasoning and Friendship in High Functioning Preadolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders

To investigate the relationship between cognitive and social functioning, 20 Israeli individuals with HFASD aged 8–12 and 22 age, maternal education, and receptive vocabulary–matched preadolescents with typical development (TYP) came to the lab with a close friend. Measures of abstract reasoning, friendship quality, and dyadic interaction during a play session were obtained. As hypothesized, individuals with HFASD were significantly impaired in abstract reasoning, and there were significant group differences in friend and observer reports of friendship quality. There also was consistency in reports between friends. Two factors—“relationship appearance” and “relationship quality” described positive aspects of the relationships. Disability status and age related to relationship appearance. Proband abstract reasoning was related to relationship quality

There is no joy like malicious joy: schadenfreude in young children.

Human emotions are strongly shaped by the tendency to compare the relative state of oneself to others. Although social comparison based emotions such as jealousy and schadenfreude (pleasure in the other misfortune) are important social emotions, little is known about their developmental origins. To examine if schadenfreude develops as a response to inequity aversion, we assessed the reactions of children to the termination of unequal and equal triadic situations. We demonstrate that children as early as 24 months show signs of schadenfreude following the termination of an unequal situation. Although both conditions involved the same amount of gains, the children displayed greater positive expressions following the disruption of the unequal as compared to the equal condition, indicating that inequity aversion can be observed earlier than reported before. These results support an early evolutionary origin of inequity aversion and indicate that schadenfreude has evolved as a response to unfairness

Using Multitouch Collaboration Technology to Enhance Social Interaction of Children with High-Functioning Autism

Children with high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (HFASD) have major difficulties in social communication skills, which may impact their performance and participation in everyday life. The goal of this study was to examine whether the StoryTable, an intervention paradigm based on a collaborative narrative, multitouch tabletop interface, enhanced social interaction for children with HFASD, and to determine whether the acquired abilities were transferred to behaviors during other tasks

The EQUAL and the UNEQUAL conditions.

<p>In the EQUAL condition the mother reads a book aloud to herself while the kids are playing (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0100233#pone-0100233-g001" target="_blank">Figure 1a</a>) the mother is then signaled to take the glass of water and accidently spill water over the book (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0100233#pone-0100233-g001" target="_blank">Figure 1b</a>). In the UNEQUAL condition the mother placed the peer on her lap and embraced the child while reading a story aloud to that child (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0100233#pone-0100233-g001" target="_blank">Figure 1c</a>) and then she was signaled to accidently spill water on the book (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0100233#pone-0100233-g001" target="_blank">Figure 1d</a>). At both conditions the child were allowed to play freely.</p

Affect scale.

<p>A significant change in negative affect (reduced negative affect) in the schadenfreude condition.</p

Quantity of different emotional manifestations.

<p>A significant interaction of <i>phase (phase 1, phase 2)*condition (EQUAL, UNEQUAL) * category (verbalization/action)</i>. Follow-up paired t tests indicated that the differences between the UNEQUAL and the EQUAL condition were evident in the action phase 1 ratings, verbalization phase 1ratings, in the phase 2 action ratings and phase 2 verbalization ratings.</p