RESUMO
This study compared maternal responsiveness to children with two neurodevelopmental disorders sharing different but, in some cases, overlapping social phenotypes-Williams syndrome (WS) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD)-and explored the relations between maternal responsiveness and child emotional/behavioural problems (EBP). The sample included 16 pre-schoolers with WS and 43 with ASD, and their mothers. Responsiveness was assessed during a mother-child interaction task. Mothers completed the CBCL 1½-5, providing a measure of EBP. No significant differences emerged between groups, and most dyads were characterized by less responsive behaviours. Maternal responsiveness proved related to child developmental age, but not with EBP. These results provide further insight into the rearing environment of children with neurodevelopmental disorders, highlighting the need for early relationship-based interventions.
Assuntos
Sintomas Afetivos/psicologia , Transtorno do Espectro Autista/psicologia , Relações Mãe-Filho/psicologia , Comportamento Problema/psicologia , Síndrome de Williams/psicologia , Adulto , Sintomas Afetivos/diagnóstico , Sintomas Afetivos/epidemiologia , Transtorno do Espectro Autista/diagnóstico , Transtorno do Espectro Autista/epidemiologia , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Mães/psicologia , Poder Familiar/psicologia , Síndrome de Williams/diagnóstico , Síndrome de Williams/epidemiologiaRESUMO
Although the impact of early adverse experience on neural processing of face familiarity has been studied, research has not taken into account disordered child behavior. This work compared the neural processing of familiar versus strangers' faces in 47 institutionalized children with a mean age of 54 months to determine the effects of (a) the presence versus absence of atypical social behavior and (b) inhibited versus indiscriminant atypical behavior. Results revealed a pattern of cortical hypoactivation in institutionalized children manifesting atypical social behavior and that inhibited children displayed larger neural response to a caregiver's face than to the stranger's, while indiscriminant children did not discriminate between stimuli. These findings suggest that neural correlates of face familiarity are associated with social functioning in institutionalized children.
