New Research Suggests Kids With Autistic Siblings Less Social
New research from UCSD suggests toddlers who have siblings with autism display different social behavior than other young children. KPBS reporter Kenny Goldberg has more.
The study involved showing toddlers a number of strange-looking toys.
Most young children in that situation will look at an adult, gauge the adult's emotional response, and use that to guide their own behavior.
Lead researcher Leslie Carver : The adults in the study displayed positive, negative, and neutral emotion. And there was really no difference in behavior in the kids with the sibling with autism, depending on which emotion the adult displayed.
Carver says this behavior is a feature of autism. Yet the children in the study did not develop the disorder. Carver says the study reinforces the idea that children who have siblings with autism tend to be on the less social end of the continuum.
Kenny Goldberg, KPBS News.
