Dysfunctions in Infants’ Statistical Learning are Related to Parental Autistic Traits

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders Vol. 51; no. 12; pp. 4621 - 4631
• Main Authors: Roberta, Bettoni, Riva, Valentina, Cantiani, Chiara, Riboldi, Elena Maria, Molteni, Massimo, Macchi Cassia, Viola, Bulf, Hermann
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.12.2021; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Ability; Analysis; Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorder - diagnosis; Autism Spectrum Disorders; Autistic Disorder; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Child and School Psychology; Clinical Diagnosis; Communication; Control Groups; Demographic aspects; Diagnosis; Evidence; Habituation; Health aspects; Humans; Incidental Learning; Individual Differences; Infants; Interpersonal Competence; Language Acquisition; Language Skills; Learning; Neurosciences; Original Paper; Parental influences; Parents; Parents & parenting; Patient outcomes; Pediatrics; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Psychological aspects; Psychology; Psychopathology; Public Health; Social development; Social Skills; Speech; Statistical learning (Psychology); Statistics; Young Children; Italy; Early marker; Infants; Visual statistical learning; Autistic traits
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432; 1573-3432
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-04894-0

Statistical learning refers to the ability to extract the statistical relations embedded in a sequence, and it plays a crucial role in the development of communicative and social skills that are impacted in the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Here, we investigated the relationship between infants’ SL ability and autistic traits in their parents. Using a visual habituation task, we tested infant offspring of adults (non-diagnosed) who show high (HAT infants) versus low (LAT infants) autistic traits. Results demonstrated that LAT infants learned the statistical structure embedded in a visual sequence, while HAT infants failed. Moreover, infants’ SL ability was related to autistic traits in their parents, further suggesting that early dysfunctions in SL might contribute to variabilities in ASD symptoms.