Abstract：
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often face challenges in early social communication skills, prompting the need for a detailed exploration of specific behaviors and their impact on cognitive and adaptive functioning. This study aims to address this gap by examining the developmental trajectories of early social communication skills in preschoolers with ASD aged 18-60 months, comparing them to age-matched typically developing (TD) children. Utilizing the early social communication scales (ESCS), the research employs a longitudinal design to capture changes over time. We apply a principal component analysis (PCA) to ESCS variables to identify underlying components, and cluster analysis to identify subgroups based on preverbal communication profiles. The results reveal consistent differences in early social communication skills between ASD and TD children, with ASD children exhibiting reduced skills. PCA identifies two components, distinguishing objects-directed behaviors and social interaction-directed behaviors. Cluster analysis identifies three subgroups of autistic children, each displaying specific communication profiles associated with distinct cognitive and adaptive functioning trajectories. In conclusion, this study provides a nuanced understanding of early social communication development in ASD, emphasizing the importance of low-level behaviors. The identification of subgroups and their unique trajectories contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of ASD heterogeneity. These findings underscore the significance of early diagnosis, focusing on specific behaviors predicting cognitive and adaptive functioning outcomes. The study encourages further research to explore the sequential development of these skills, offering valuable insights for interventions and support strategies.
摘要：
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童在早期社交技巧方面经常面临挑战，提示需要详细探索特定行为及其对认知和适应功能的影响。本研究旨在通过研究18-60个月ASD学龄前儿童早期社交沟通技巧的发展轨迹来解决这一差距。将它们与年龄匹配的典型发育(TD)儿童进行比较。利用早期的社会交往量表(ESCS)，该研究采用纵向设计来捕捉随时间的变化。我们对ESCS变量应用主成分分析(PCA)来识别潜在成分，和聚类分析，以根据前言语交流概况识别子组。结果揭示了ASD和TD儿童在早期社会交往能力方面的一致差异。ASD儿童技能下降。PCA确定了两个组成部分，区分对象导向行为和社会交往导向行为。聚类分析确定了自闭症儿童的三个亚组，每个显示与不同的认知和自适应功能轨迹相关的特定通信配置文件。总之,这项研究提供了对ASD早期社会交往发展的细致理解，强调低级行为的重要性。亚组及其独特轨迹的识别有助于更全面地理解ASD异质性。这些发现强调了早期诊断的重要性，专注于预测认知和适应性功能结果的特定行为。这项研究鼓励进一步的研究，以探索这些技能的顺序发展，为干预措施和支持策略提供有价值的见解。
