The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which typically developing (TD) siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) could implement the model-lead-test (MLT) strategy through the self-monitoring checklist and telehealth-based coaching, as well as the impact of the sibling-mediated intervention on the acquisition of…

Adverse health events within families can harm children's development, including their early literacy. Using data from a longitudinal Wisconsin birth cohort, we estimated the spillover effect of younger siblings' gestational ages on older siblings' kindergarten-level literacy. We sampled 20,014 sibling pairs born during 2007-2010 who took…

Identifying infants at elevated likelihood for autism and other developmental differences in the first year of life remains a significant challenge. This study explored associations between behavioral differences in infancy and developmental outcomes in toddlerhood. We conducted a secondary data analysis of 256 infants with an older autistic…

New motor skills can shape how infants communicate with their caregivers. For example, learning to walk allows infants to move faster and farther than they previously could, in turn allowing them to approach their caregivers more frequently to gesture or vocalize. Does the link between walking and communication differ for infants later diagnosed…

Background &aims: Language abilities of autistic children and children at elevated likelihood for autism (EL-siblings) are highly heterogeneous, and many of them develop language deficits. It is as of yet unclear why language abilities of autistic children and EL-siblings vary, although an interaction of multiple influential factors is likely…

The current study explored how children's social interactions during a six-month period of school closures impacted the development of their social and emotional functioning on return to school. A sample of 81 primary school children (age 8-12 years) in Ireland completed measurements of social and emotional functioning before and after the school…