
4 recent blog posts about understanding autism spectrum disorder
Our understanding of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has developed a great deal over recent years, but there is still much work to be done.

The role of parent-child interaction on child development
When children face cognitive and motor delays, they are often unable to reach developmental milestones at the expected times. Does this influence the interactive behaviors of parents and children?

Early exploratory behavior in infants with Down syndrome
Object exploration is part of infants’ early development. How do infants with Down syndrome explore the world around them? And how is exploratory behavior related to their general development?

Emotional responses to infant crying
Hearing an infant cry can cause negative emotions, which can impact the way we respond. Researchers Riem and Karreman instructed parents to apply specific emotion regulation strategies in response to infant crying.

Studying posture development in infants at risk for autism
Research shows that early posture development is delayed in infants who are eventually diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Understanding these delays helps to improve early diagnosis and intervention.

What does an infant’s gaze tell us about how hungry they feel?
McNally and her colleagues developed a coding scheme to observe infant gaze behavior and applied it in a study of complementary feeding.

How do children interact with their older autistic siblings?
In celebration of World Autism Awareness Day, this blog post focuses on the social interactions between children and their older autistic siblings.

A closer look at eye contact
Infant siblings of children with or without ASD participated in a study to determine whether gaze behavior showed during a test with an unfamiliar examiner could predict gaze behavior in a more naturalistic context.

PCIT: Parent-Child Interaction Therapy
What is Parent-Child Interaction Therapy? It helps improve family dynamics by working to reduce negative behavior and interactions, and to practice new behaviors and ways of communicating that are more encouraging.

Analyzing the mealtime behaviors of children with autism
Disrupted mealtimes and feeding challenges may risk the development of family stability, as well as the social skills and well-being of a child. Which strategy should families use to support meal time engagement?