Network Structure of Autism Spectrum Disorder Behaviors and Its Evolution in Preschool Children: Insights from a New Longitudinal Network Analysis Method.
Farhad MontazeriJan K BuitelaarIris J OosterlingAnnelies A de BildtGeorge M AndersonPublished in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders (2022)
Network modeling of the social, communication and restrictive/repetitive behaviors (RRBs) included in the definition of Autism Spectrum Disorder was performed. The Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) assessed behaviors in 139 pre-school cases at two cross-sections that averaged 34.8 months apart. Cross-sectional networks were based on the correlation matrix of the ADI-R behavioral items and the "bootCross" method was developed and enabled the estimation of a longitudinal network. At both stages, RRB items/nodes formed a consistent peripheral cluster, while social and communication nodes formed a core cluster that diverged with time. These differences in the nature and evolution of the RRB and socio-communicative dimensions indicate that their inter-behavior dynamics are very different. The most central behaviors across stages are proposed as prime targets for efficient therapeutic intervention.
Keyphrases
- autism spectrum disorder
- network analysis
- cross sectional
- intellectual disability
- mental health
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- healthcare
- randomized controlled trial
- sentinel lymph node
- physical activity
- high frequency
- squamous cell carcinoma
- early stage
- radiation therapy
- working memory
- psychometric properties