Poster #42 - Autism in the family: Are maternal self-reports of social difficulties apparent in interactions with their children?

• In Event: 3-159 - Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Section - Developmental Disabilities

Integrative Statement

In families raising children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), previous studies often highlight elements of the broader autism phenotype (BAP) in fathers and siblings. The BAP reflects a wide range of subclinical autism-like features often reported via questionnaires like the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2). Elevated SRS-2 scores are not commonly reported in mothers, and it is unclear how self-reports relate to behaviors in context. Recognizing current recommendations for parent-mediated interventions for infants at elevated risk for ASD, understanding the associations between reported and observed maternal social behaviors may be especially salient in identifying those who may require additional support/scaffolding when implementing an intervention.

Within the present study, families with multiple children exhibiting autism symptoms (AS) were assessed to (1) determine if these mothers exhibit more social difficulties than mothers with no familial ASD history (indexed by the SRS-2) and (2) if social differences on the SRS-2 are present, are they associated with maternal play behaviors within a social context.

As part of a prospective infant siblings study, 60 mothers with multiple children exhibiting AS (high-risk group, n = 23) or families with no history of ASD (low-risk group, n = 37) were recorded during a standardized social task (i.e., a mother-child play task) when children were between 18 and 24 months of age. Play interactions were micro-analytically coded for gaze, positive affect, and vocalizations. Theory driven composites of maternal responsiveness were derived from the micro-analytic codes. Videos were also rated with the Joint Engagement Rating Inventory (JERI, 2016) for symbol highlighting, following in, and affective communication.

Group differences across the SRS-2 were assessed using general linear models with terms for infant sex and maternal education. Though the majority of SRS-2 scores fell within the normative range, significant group differences were observed - mothers in the high-risk group reported more social difficulties (Table 1). Overall, observed maternal play behaviors were not associated with SRS-2 scores (p range .06 - .95). However, further inspection revealed a significant interaction between group and the social motivation SRS-2 subscale such that mothers in the high-risk group who endorsed more difficulties being socially motivated (M = 9.60, SD = 1.48), compared to low-risk mothers (M = 5.08, SD = .66) followed their children’s interests during play less frequently, F(1,49) = 4.58, p = .04, partial ŋ2 = .09.

In families raising more than one child with AS (multiplex families), maternal self-reported social difficulties were elevated in this study. This finding is distinct from previous studies of multiplex families, which report elevated scores for fathers and siblings but not mothers (e.g., Schwichtenberg et al., 2010). However, even with these elevated scores, mothers of children with AS were (mostly) comparable to low-risk mothers. The lack of consistent associations between maternal SRS-2 scores and their behaviors in context does not support the use of the SRS-2 to identify mothers who may require additional support implementing parent-mediated interventions.

Authors

• Ashleigh Marie Kellerman, Purdue University
  Presenting Author

• A. J. Schwichtenberg, Purdue University
  Non-Presenting Author