Attentional Engagement and Disengagement Differences for Circumscribed Interest Objects in Young Chinese Children with Autism

Zhou, Lili; Zhang, Li; Xu, Yuening; Yang, Fuyi; Benson, Valerie

doi:10.3390/brainsci12111461

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 54 publications

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“…Previous literature suggests that preferred interests can serve as a source of pleasure and learning; both autistic and no diagnosis (NDx) children demonstrate affective responses to preferred interests that can be used promote learning (Cascio et al, 2014; Dunst et al, 2012; Harrop et al, 2019; Hidi et al, 2004; Wood, 2021). Autistic children may be differentiated from NDx peers by challenges in disengaging from preferred interests, demonstrating greater difficulty in cognitive control and attention shifting (Bos et al, 2019; Godfrey et al, 2022; Zhou et al, 2022). Despite being characteristic of autism, preferred interests are observed in typical development (DeLoache et al, 2007).…”

Section: Categorizing and Identifying Preferred Interests In Autistic...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Categorizing and identifying preferred interests in autistic toddlers

Frisch,

Coulter,

Thomas

et al. 2024

Autism Research

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Preferred interests are characteristic of autism spectrum disorder and are reported by parents starting at an early age. However, limited research has explored the presentation of preferred interests in toddlerhood. Previous literature suggests that both the intensity and type of preferred interests held by autistic individuals differ from those held by peers with developmental delay and no diagnosis and that autistic interests are more unusual in nature. While preferred interests are seen in typical child development, previous research suggests that the presence of preferred interests in children with no diagnosis declines with age. Literature also indicates that the sex and cognitive ability of autistic children influences preferred interests. Identification of early preferred interests commonly held by autistic toddlers could serve as a useful clinical indicator of future diagnosis. This article explored whether diagnostic group, age, sex, and cognitive ability predict the likelihood that parents reported preferred interests in children aged 12–36 months with diagnoses of autism, developmental delay, and those with no diagnosis. Additionally, we explored potential diagnostic group differences in interest type. Results suggest that diagnostic group, but not age, sex, or cognitive ability, predicts the likelihood that parents report preferred interests. No differences in the type of interests among diagnostic groups were identified. These results support the use of preferred interests as an early sign of autism but suggest that interest type may not be a helpful clinical indicator of autism in toddlerhood.

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