Autistic symptom severity differentially relates to neural entropy and child-parent social behavior during math processing

• In Event: Neuroscience, AI, and Emotion in Education: Bridging Cognitive and Social Development

Abstract

Social experiences are critical for learning, and neural activity increasingly supplements behavior in assessing social processing. Multiscale entropy (MSE), a measure of neural variability, is linked to social perception and autism symptom severity, especially in the gamma band. In this study, 34 autistic and typically-developing children ages 7-11 completed an interactive math task with their parents. Child Autism Quotient (AQ-Child; i.e., autism symptom severity), EEG-based MSE, and video-coded child-parent social behavior attunement were assessed. Stronger autism symptoms predicted weaker links between child-parent behavioral and neural (MSE) attunement. Symptoms also positively predicted child gamma-band MSE, attenuated by child-parent social behavior attunement. Findings highlight the value of integrating behavioral and biological data to capture individual differences in social engagement and expression.

Authors

• Analia Marzoratti, University of Virginia

• Megan Liu, Massachusetts General Hospital

• Emily Fuhrmann, University of Virginia

• Rose Nevill, University of Virginia

• Kevin Pelphrey, University of Virginia

• Meghan Puglia, University of Virginia

• Tanya Evans, University of Virginia