Behavioral differences between infants at and not at elevated risk for autism during a contingency paradigm.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Motor impairments have been reported in infants at elevated likelihood of autism and those later diagnosed with autism. However, empirical studies comparing higher to lower likelihood infants are lacking, limiting our understanding of these motor impairments. This study aimed to determine and describe the behavioral differences between infants at higher (HLA) versus lower likelihood (LLA) of autism during a contingency learning paradigm.

Methods

Thirty full-term infants (6-9 months of age) at HLA and LLA (n = 15 per group) participated in a contingency learning paradigm. Movements of the infant's right leg activated an infant-sized humanoid robot to reinforce production of right leg movements. Gaze behaviors, the number of times the infants activated the robot,

SUBMITTER: Rosales MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12829924 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature