Gaze to faces across interactive contexts in infants at heightened risk for autism.

Infant social-communicative behavior, such as gaze to the face of an interactive partner, is an important early developmental skill. Children with autism spectrum disorder exhibit atypicalities in social-communicative behavior, including gaze and eye contact. Behavioral differences in infancy may serve as early markers of autism spectrum disorder and help identify individuals at highest risk for developing the disorder.

A prospective study of the emergence of early behavioral signs of autism.

Objective: To examine prospectively the emergence of behavioral signs of autism in the first years of life in infants at low and high risk for autism.

Method: A prospective longitudinal design was used to compare 25 infants later diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with 25 gender-matched low-risk children later determined to have typical development. Participants were evaluated at 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months of age.