Early multimodal behavioral cues in autism: a micro-analytical exploration of actions, gestures and speech during naturalistic parent-child interactions.

ABSTRACT: Early signs of autism often emerge through distinct developmental pathways, particularly in communication, social interaction, and play. While naturalistic parent-child interactions during free play are ideal for observing spontaneous social behaviors, few autism studies have adopted this ecological and developmental approach. To address this gap, we used a fine-grained microanalytic method to examine motor, gestural, and vocal behaviors in young children, integrating machine learning to explore how combinations of these traits distinguish early autistic neurodivergence. We analyzed video recordings of 58 autistic and non-autistic children (aged 13-40 months) engaged in naturalistic parent-child play. A frame-by-frame micro-coding scheme was applied to capture actions, gestures, speech, an

SUBMITTER: Mastrogiuseppe M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12861202 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan-Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature