Yonsei Med J.  2018 May;59(3):425-430. 10.3349/ymj.2018.59.3.425.

Vocalization of Emotional and Social Expressions in Korean-Speaking Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Those with Developmental Delay

• Lee KS
• Shin YJ
• Yoo HJ
• Lee GJ
• Ryu J
• Son O
• Cho SW

• KMID: 2407866
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2018.59.3.425

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study aimed to examine the development of socializing and emotional expressions through vocalizations and joint attention (JA) behaviors in Korean-speaking children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), compared to those with developmental delay (DD).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Video samples were collected from 28 toddlers with ASD and 18 age-matched toddlers with DD, and vocalizations were each coded in detail for the purpose of this retrospective research. In addition to some statistical analysis, Computerized Language Analysis was conducted to obtain the final results.
RESULTS
Although they produced a higher number of vocalizations than the DD group, the ASD group did not engage in emotional or social interactions with their caretakers, whereas the DD group did. The children with ASD used more atypical vocalizations and socially unengaged vocalizations than the children with DD did. JA using vocalizations in the ASD group, in particular, was largely dyadic, with triadic types occurring at a significantly lower frequency than those in the DD group.
CONCLUSION
Results from this study indicate the importance of assessing early vocalizations in toddlers with ASD, suggesting that some common symptoms of ASD, such as lack of typical, emotional, and social functions in early vocalizations, could be used to develop screening and intervention programs related to ASD.

Keyword

Autism spectrum disorder; child behavior; developmental disabilities; communication disorders; mother-child relations

MeSH Terms

Autism Spectrum Disorder*
Autistic Disorder*
Child
Child Behavior
Communication Disorders
Developmental Disabilities
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Joints
Mass Screening
Mother-Child Relations
Retrospective Studies

Reference

1. Ninio A, Snow CE. Pragmatic development. New York: Westview Press;1996.

2. Chericoni N, de Brito Wanderley D, Costanzo V, Diniz-Gonçalves A, Leitgel Gille M, Parlato E, et al. Pre-linguistic vocal trajectories at 6-18 months of age as early markers of autism. Front Psychol. 2016; 7:1595. PMID: 27807424.

3. Patten E, Belardi K, Baranek GT, Watson LR, Labban JD, Oller DK. Vocal patterns in infants with autism spectrum disorder: canonical babbling status and vocalization frequency. J Autism Dev Disord. 2014; 44:2413–2428. PMID: 24482292.

4. Hale CM, Tager-Flusberg H. Brief report: the relationship between discourse deficits and autism symptomatology. J Autism Dev Disord. 2005; 35:519–524. PMID: 16134037.

5. Mitchell S, Cardy JO, Zwaigenbaum L. Differentiating autism spectrum disorder from other developmental delays in the first two years of life. Dev Disabil Res Rev. 2011; 17:130–140. PMID: 23362032.

6. Ozonoff S, Iosif AM, Baguio F, Cook IC, Hill MM, Hutman T, et al. A prospective study of the emergence of early behavioral signs of autism. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2010; 49:256–266. 266.e1–266.e2. PMID: 20410715.

7. Scherer KR. The assessment of vocal expression in infants and children. In : Izard C, editor. Measuring emotions in infants and children. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press;1982. p. 127–163.

8. Estes A, Munson J, Rogers SJ, Greenson J, Winter J, Dawson G. Long-term outcomes of early intervention in 6-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2015; 54:580–587. PMID: 26088663.

9. Hutman T, Rozga A, DeLaurentis AD, Barnwell JM, Sugar CA, Sigman M. Response to distress in infants at risk for autism: a prospective longitudinal study. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2010; 51:1010–1020. PMID: 20546081.

10. Lee KS, Jung SJ, Cho SW, Shin YJ, Jeon MK, Ahn SI. Application of SACS-K to Korean infants and toddlers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD): comparison of markers between ASD, developmental delay and typical children. J Korean Assoc Pers Austism. 2016; 16:1–26.

11. Cho SS, Kim SH, Cho SW. Communicative intents in Koreanspeaking typical and autistic children. In : Proceedings of the 5th International Conference of the Cognitive Science; 2006 Jul 26-29; Vancouver, Canada. Seoul: Sigma Press;2008. p. 83–84.

12. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association;1994.

13. Shneidman ES. Review of vineland social maturity scale. [Review of the book vineland social maturity scale. E.A. Doll]. J Consult Psychol. 1956; 20:409–410.

14. Shank L. Mullen scales of early learning. In : Kreutzer JS, DeLuca J, Caplan B, editors. Encyclopedia of clinical neuropsychology. New York (NY): Springer;2011. p. 1669–1671.

15. Schopler E, Van Bourgondien ME, Wellman , GJ , Love SR. Childhood autism rating scale. 2nd ed. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services;2010.

16. MacWhinney B. The CHILDES project. 3rd ed. Mahwah (NJ): Lawrence Erlbaum;2014.

17. Schoen E, Paul R, Chawarska K. Phonology and vocal behavior in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders. Autism Res. 2011; 4:177–188. PMID: 21308998.

18. Ekman P. An argument for basic emotions. Cogn Emot. 1992; 6:169–200.

19. Allely CS. Pain sensitivity and observer perception of pain in individuals with autistic spectrum disorder. ScientificWorldJournal. 2013; 2013:916178. PMID: 23843740.

20. Clifford S, Dissanayake C. Dyadic and triadic behaviours in infancy as precursors to later social responsiveness in young children with autistic disorder. J Autism Dev Disord. 2009; 39:1369–1380. PMID: 19475503.

21. Striano T, Stahl D. Sensitivity to triadic attention in early infancy. Dev Sci. 2005; 8:333–343. PMID: 15985067.

22. Volkmar FR, Klin A, Siegel B, Szatmari P, Lord C, Campbell M, et al. Field trial for autistic disorder in DSM-IV. Am J Psychiatry. 1994; 151:1361–1367. PMID: 8067493.

23. Hobson RP. The autistic child's appraisal of expressions of emotion. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1986; 27:321–342. PMID: 3733915.

24. Hobson RP, Ouston J, Lee A. What's in a face? The case of autism. Br J Psychol. 1988; 79(Pt 4):441–453. PMID: 3208000.

25. Hobson RP. The emotional origins of social understanding. Philos Psychol. 1993; 6:227–245.

26. Loveland KA. Social affordances and interaction II: autism and the affordances of the human environment. Ecol Psychol. 1991; 3:99–119.