Social communication problems, social anxiety, and mood problems: kindergarten and primary school teachers' perspective among students with autism spectrum disorder.

This study examined the level of social communication problems (SCP), social anxiety (SA), and mood problems (MP) among children with ASD (age 4-13 years) enrolled in special classes (n = 74) and regular classes (n = 73) and grade level (kindergarten, 1st-3rd, 4th-6th) from teachers' perspective in schools of Palestinian Arabs in Israel. Teachers responded to three questionnaires about (1) SCP, (2) SA and (3) MP; the teachers' responses to the questionnaires were used to answer the research questions. Results: SCP, SA and MP were of medium rates for students with ASD enrolled in regular and special classes. No significant differences in the level of SCP could be attributed to class type (Regular, Special) or the grade level (kindergarten, 1st-3rd, 4th-6th). There were significant differences in SA levels that could be attributed to grade level in favor of the 4th-6th grades but there were no significant differences according to class type (Regular, Special). There were statistically significant differences in MP levels that could be attributed to the class type in favor of special classes, and the effect of grade level was not significant. There was a direct significant relationship between SCP, SA, and MP. Conclusion: SCP may be an important risk factor for the development of SA and MP among students with ASD, which lead us to incorporating social skills interventions by educational staff to alleviate or even prevent symptoms of SA and MP among students with ASD, which supports the view of inclusion.

Vocal recognition of partners by female prairie voles.

Recognizing conspecifics is vitally important for differentiating kin, mates, offspring and social threats.1 Although often reliant upon chemical or visual cues, individual recognition across the animal kingdom is also facilitated by unique acoustic signatures in vocalizations.2-4 However, amongst the large Muroidea superfamily of rodents that encompasses laboratory species amenable to neurobiological studies, there is scant behavioral evidence for individual vocal recognition despite individual acoustic variation.5-10 Playback studies have found evidence for coarse communicative functions like mate attraction and territorial defense, but limited finer ability to discriminate known individuals' vocalizations.11-17 Such a capacity would be adaptive for species that form lifelong pair bonds requiring partner identification across timescales, distances and sensory modalities, so to improve the chance of finding individual vocal recognition in a Muroid rodent, we investigated vocal communication in the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) - one of the few socially monogamous mammals.18 We found that the ultrasonic vocalizations of adult prairie voles can communicate individual identity. Even though the vocalizations of individual males change after cohabitating with a female to form a bond, acoustic variation across individuals is greater than within an individual so that vocalizations of different males in a common context are identifiable above chance. Critically, females behaviorally discriminate their partner's vocalizations over a stranger's, even if emitted to another stimulus female. These results establish the acoustic and behavioral foundation for individual vocal recognition in prairie voles, where neurobiological tools19-22 enable future studies revealing its causal neural mechanisms.

Reduced P300 amplitude in children and adolescents with autism is associated with slowed processing speed, executive difficulties, and social-communication problems.

LAY ABSTRACT: Selective attention to auditory input is reflected in the brain by an electric amplitude called the P3b amplitude, which is measured using electroencephalography. Previous research has shown that children and adolescents with autism have an attenuated P3b amplitude when they have to attend specific sounds while ignoring other sounds. However, it is unknown whether a reduced P3b amplitude in autistic children and adolescents is associated with their autism features, daily functioning and/or cognitive functions. This study aimed to examine these questions. Therefore, we assessed selective attention to auditory input in 57 children with autism aged 7-14 years and 57 neurotypically developing controls while measuring their brain activity with electroencephalography. Participants further underwent cognitive assessment, and parents reported on autistic traits and daily functioning. As expected, children with autism had lower P3b amplitude compared to their neurotypical peers. Importantly, an attenuated P3b amplitude was associated with more parent-reported social-communication problems and difficulties with daily functioning. Children with autism further had reduced processing speed of visual input, which also was coupled to a lower P3b amplitude. In conclusion, we found attenuated P3b amplitude in children with autism performing an auditory selective attention task, which was related to difficulties with processing visual input and allocating attentional resources critical for social and daily functioning. The results suggest that autistic children are more vulnerable to being disturbed when the environment is filled with conflicting sensory input.

Association of Irritability with Restricted, Repetitive Behaviors and Social Communication Challenges in Autistic Youth.

Although affective irritability is a common and concerning problem for autistic youth, limited research has examined relations among core autism characteristics and irritability. Therefore, this study investigated potential associations among types of restricted/repetitive behaviors (RRBs) and social communication challenges and irritability in autistic children and adolescents. Participants were 107 autistic youth recruited from a university-based autism clinical research program. Two hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted with Affective Reactivity Index as the dependent variable. Covariates were entered at step 1, followed by the independent variables of interest at step 2. For the first model, independent variables of interest were Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised subscales: stereotyped behavior, self-injurious behavior, compulsive behavior, ritualistic behavior, sameness behavior, and restricted behavior. For the second model, independent variables of interest were Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition subscales: social awareness, social cognitive, social communication, and social motivation. Irritability was significantly associated with several categories of RRBs (i.e., insistence on sameness, stereotypic behavior, and restricted interests/activities). Nonetheless, irritability was not associated with categories of social communication and interaction challenges in autistic youth. Results from this study indicated differing associations between core autism characteristics and affective irritability. Findings highlight the importance of differentiating types of restricted, repetitive behaviors and social communication and interaction challenges in conceptualizing mental health concerns in autistic youth.

Recreational ball games are effective in improving social communication impairments among preschoolers diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder: a multi-arm controlled study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare the effects of two 12-week training intervention experimental ball games combined with standard behavioral rehabilitation against a control group solely utilizing standard behavioral rehabilitation on social communication impairments (SCI) in preschool children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). METHODS: A multi-arm controlled study design was implemented, involving 41 children diagnosed with ASD (mean age: 4.99 ± 0.76 years). 41 participants were randomized assigned to two experimental groups and a control group, The experimental group carried out ball combination training program group (BCTP) and mini-basketball training program group (MBTP) on the basis of routine behavioral rehabilitation, which underwent 12-week training interventions 5 times a week. The control group (n = 14) received only standard behavioral rehabilitation. Evaluations were conducted before and after interventions using the Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition (SRS-2). RESULTS: The results suggest that both 12-week interventions, BCTP, and MBTP, led to significant improvements in social communication impairment among children with ASD (p < 0.05). Despite enhancing the overall scores on the SRS-2, these interventions displayed varying impacts across different sub-dimensions. BCTP primarily exhibited significant enhancements in social awareness and behavior pattern (p < 0.05), whereas MBTP significantly improved social cognition and social communication (p < 0.05). Both interventions showed slight improvements in social motivation. CONCLUSIONS: The utilization of recreational ball games has showed to be effective in decreasing the impairment levels of children with ASD, while the control group experienced a worsening of outcomes. This suggests that irrespective of the specific ball game strategy employed, both can be employed on a weekly basis to complement standard behavioral rehabilitation and enhance the ability to improve the quality of life for children diagnosed with ASD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial is retrospectively registered on the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR1900024973;August 5, 2019).

Characterizing social communication among minimally verbal children with autism: An application of item response theory.

Minimally verbal children constitute a portion of the autism spectrum. The paucity of proper measurement tools that sensitively and accurately assess behaviors has been one limiting factor in the improved knowledge of these children. Short of creating and validating a new measurement tool for this subpopulation, this study took an alternative and more immediate approach: conduct a secondary data analysis and examine an existing social communication measure, the Early Social Communication Scales (ESCS), with item response theory. The final sample consisted of 453 minimally verbal children culled from four different completed studies. The IRT models analyzed the frequency of social communication gestures from the ESCS and returned an objective difficulty hierarchy regarding initiations of joint attention and behavior regulation gestures. The best-fitting and final model was a zero-inflated negative binomial model (ZINBM), which determined that joint attention gestures were, on average, more difficult than behavior regulation gestures. Joint attentional shows and gives were essentially absent in the children's repertoire, and behavior regulation reaches were the easiest gestures for this sample. The ZINBM separately modeled children with some gestures and children who did not present with any gestures and determined that behavior regulation reaches and gives were likely the first gestures a child will eventually exhibit among children with no gestures. Methodological contributions and potential future applications of IRT are discussed.

Oral edaravone ameliorates behavioral deficits and pathologies in a valproic acid-induced rat model of autism spectrum disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is neurodevelopmental disorder with a high incidence rate, characterized by social deficits and repetitive behaviors. There is currently no effective management available to treat the core symptoms of ASD; however, oxidative stress has been implicated in its pathogenesis. Edaravone (EDA), a free-radical scavenger, is used to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Here, we hypothesized that an oral formula of EDA may have therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of core ASD symptoms. A rat model of autism was established by prenatal exposure to valproic acid (VPA), and the offsprings were orally treated with EDA at low (3 mg/kg), medium (10 mg/kg), and high (30 mg/kg) doses once daily for 28 days starting from postnatal day 25 (PND25). Oral EDA administration alleviated the core symptoms in VPA rats in a dose-dependent manner, including repetitive stereotypical behaviors and impaired social interaction. Furthermore, oral administration of EDA significantly reduced oxidative stress in a dose-dependent manner, as evidenced by a reduction in oxidative stress markers and an increase in antioxidants in the blood and brain. In addition, oral EDA significantly attenuated downstream pathologies, including synaptic and mitochondrial damage in the brain. Proteomic analysis further revealed that EDA corrected the imbalance in brain oxidative reduction and mitochondrial proteins induced by prenatal VPA administration. Overall, these findings demonstrate that oral EDA has therapeutic potential for ASD by targeting the oxidative stress pathway of disease pathogenesis and paves the way towards clinical studies.

The JASPER (Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement and Regulation) Intervention in Down Syndrome: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Children with Down syndrome (DS) often need support building language, socialization, and regulation, yet few receive behavioral intervention for this. The Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement and Regulation (JASPER) intervention holds promise as a clinician-caregiver-mediated approach. AIMS: The aims of this pilot study were to (1) describe the behavioral phenotype of children with DS (2) quantify change in child engagement following JASPER receipt, (3) measure caregiver adoption of JASPER strategies, and (4) generate hypotheses and directions for future research. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Sixteen toddlers with DS and their caregivers enrolled in the study. Dyads were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: immediate intervention or waitlist control. During the COVID-19 pandemic, intervention was delivered remotely. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Caregivers learned to implement JASPER strategies and pilot data suggest improvements in joint engagement and regulation during play. Case series data show individual heterogeneity of intervention response. Remote intervention delivery may be associated with greater participant retention. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: JASPER may be a viable treatment option to improve joint engagement and emotion regulation in young children with DS. Parents appear receptive to learning and implementing JASPER strategies at home. Remote JASPER delivery may improve participation in research or treatment programs.

Applying a User-Centered Design Framework to Develop a Remote Research Assessment Protocol for a Randomized Clinical Trial for Toddlers with Early Autism Characteristics.

COVID-19 required many research teams to shift from in-person to remote assessments, which posed both procedural and theoretical challenges. While research has explored the utility of remote assessments for autism diagnosis from the perspective of families and clinicians, less is known about their application in clinical trials. This paper describes the development of a remote research assessment protocol for a randomized clinical trial focusing on the implementation of reciprocal imitation teaching (RIT) with toddlers in Part C early intervention. This project spans two phases. For Phase 1, our team developed and documented a series of steps utilizing user-centered design (UCD) strategies (e.g., recruiting potential users, creating a prototype, engaging in iterative development) for the purpose of redesigning an assessment protocol for a remote environment. For Phase 2, we examined preliminary outcomes of the redesign process. Primary end users (assessors) rated post-redesign usability and acceptability, while acceptability was examined using attrition data from secondary end users (family participants). Preliminary fidelity of implementation was also examined. The iterative redesign process allowed the research team to refine aspects of the assessment that ultimately led to promising preliminary ratings of usability, acceptability, and feasibility, as well as high fidelity. Preliminary data suggest that the redesigned assessment appears to be an acceptable, feasible, and usable tool for autism clinical trial research and that assessors can use it with fidelity. Further research is needed to examine the reliability and validity of the assessment, as well as implementation characteristics on a larger scale.

Assessing aspects of early social communication in non-speaking children with bilateral cerebral palsy.

PURPOSE: Research suggests that rates for autism may be higher in cerebral palsy than in the general population. For those with severe bilateral physical impairment (GMFCS level IV and V) and little or no speech, describing a profile of social communication skills has been difficult because there are currently no assessments for early social communication specifically tailored for these children. Our aim was to explore the assessment of aspects of joint attention and social reciprocity in this group of children with CP. METHODS: We compared the performance of children with bilateral CP on carefully designed assessments of joint attention and social responsiveness with groups of children with Down syndrome and autism. All three groups were matched for chronological age and mental age. RESULTS: Approximately 30% of the children with bilateral CP had early social communication scores similar to the autistic children. The remaining 70% of children with CP had a range of early social communication scores similar to the children with Down syndrome. CONCLUSION: It is possible to assess key early social communication skills in non-speaking children with bilateral motor disability. This could provide insights to help clinicians and caregivers as they discuss abilities and explore potential areas for intervention.

With carefully designed activities, which do not rely on motor skills or verbal exchanges, it was possible to assess joint attention and social responsiveness skills in a group of non-speaking children with bilateral motor disability.We were able to identify a subgroup of non-speaking children with severe motor disability (approximately 30% of our cohort) whose scores on our assessments were similar to a group of autistic children.The ability to describe key early social communication skills should provide insights to help clinicians and caregivers as they discuss abilities and explore potential areas for intervention.

Adherence and Opportunity Frequency as Predictors of Communication Outcomes from Pivotal Response Parent Training.

PURPOSE: Access to intervention is a barrier for children with autism. As parent-mediated interventions have emerged to address this need, understanding implementation components contributing to child gains is critically important. Existing literature documents relationships between parent treatment adherence and child progress; however, less is understood about components, such as frequency of learning opportunities, which could also affect child outcomes. METHODS: This study is a secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial evaluating Pivotal Response Treatment group parent training (PRTG) compared to psychoeducation. Linear regression and mediational models were employed to identify potential predictors and mediators of outcome. RESULTS: PRTG produced large increases in adherence and learning opportunities. In general, greater frequency of learning opportunities and adherence predicted better child outcomes. The best-fitting cross-sectional mediational models indicated at least partial mediational effects, whereby increased learning opportunities mediated the relationship between greater adherence and improved child outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides preliminary evidence of how early gains in adherence may support parents to provide more frequent learning opportunities, which, in turn, yield positive effects on child social communication. Future large-scale research, with greater granularity of measurement, is needed to further understand the temporal relationships between these variables.

Rhythm and music for promoting sensorimotor organization in autism: broader implications for outcomes.

Emerging research suggests that music and rhythm-based interventions offer promising avenues for facilitating functional outcomes for autistic individuals. Evidence suggests that many individuals with ASD have music processing and production abilities similar to those of neurotypical peers. These individual strengths in music processing and production may be used within music therapy with a competence-based treatment approach. We provide an updated perspective of how music and rhythm-based interventions promote sensory and motor regulation, and how rhythm and music may then impact motor, social, and communicative skills. We discuss how music can engage and motivate individuals, and can be used intentionally to promote skill acquisition through both structured and flexible therapeutic applications. Overall, we illustrate the potential of music and rhythm as valuable tools in addressing skill development in individuals on the autism spectrum.

The Association Between Autism Symptomatology and Adaptive Functioning Over Six Months: Findings from the Pilot Phase of the PARC Study.

PURPOSE: In the context of developmental trajectories, the association between adaptive functioning and core autism symptomatology remains unclear. The current study examines the associations of adaptive behavior with autism symptom sub-domains and with different facets of symptom expression. METHODS: Participants include 36 children with a recent diagnosis of autism (33 males; mean age = 56.4 months; SD = 9 months). Families were recruited in the context of the Pediatric Autism Research Cohort (PARC) project. Parents filled out questionnaires at two time points, six months apart, regarding their child's autism symptoms and adaptive functioning. The longitudinal relationship between adaptive functioning and autism symptoms was investigated using Mixed Linear Model analyses: one assessing the relationship between general symptom levels and adaptive functioning, and another examining the associations between symptom frequency and impact with adaptive functioning. We conducted Pearson correlation tests at both time points to assess the associations between symptom sub-domains and adaptive functioning. RESULTS: Findings showed that higher autism symptoms associated with lower adaptive behavior skills, and that this association remained stable over time. Autism impact scores did not significantly relate to adaptive skills, as opposed to frequency scores. Associations between adaptive functioning and autism symptom sub-domains strengthened over time. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that adaptive functioning is associated with parent-report autism symptomatology, and that this association changes and, on average, becomes stronger over time. Findings may indicate that frequency and impact of symptoms have differential roles in the development of adaptive skills and are worthy of further exploration.

Assessing the Impact of Bilingualism on the Linguistic Skills of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Greece: A Scoping Review.

(1) Background and Objectives: This review aims to identify the latest literature on the possible effect of bilingualism on the linguistic skills of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) residing in Greece. (2) Materials and Methods: The literature was searched in the databases of Scopus and PubMed by selecting articles and by reviewing four studies published in peer-reviewed journals. This Scoping Review is based on the standards of PRISMA recommendations for scoping reviews, while the PCC framework was used as a guide to construct clear and meaningful objectives and eligibility criteria. (3) Results: The publications included in the review addressed a variety of language-related skills, including morphology, the syntax-pragmatics interface, narrative ability, as well as both receptive and expressive language skills. (4) Conclusions: Three out of four studies provide evidence that bilingual ASD children are not disadvantaged compared to monolingual peers but rather enjoy some benefits, to a certain extent, due to bilingualism. However, the number of the reviewed studies as well as the limitations of the studies themselves render this conclusion tentative. Additionally, the findings set guidelines that speech therapists, educators, psychologists, and doctors in the Greek context need to follow when treating or educating bilingual children with ASD.

Weak central coherence in neurodevelopmental disorders: a comparative study.

Introduction: Central coherence is the normal tendency to process and give meaning to incoming information taking into account the context or global view of that information. Methods: We assessed the central coherence of 252 school children of normal intelligence between 6 and 11 years old. We compared the performance of two groups: (a) a control group (n = 194), and (b) a clinical group (n = 58) comprising children with NVLD+ADHD (n = 24), ADHD alone (n = 16), SCD (n = 8) and level-1ASD (n = 10) (Kluskall-Wallis H and Mann-Whitney U were calculated to make comparisons within groups and between pairs of groups). The effects of medication were studied (Student's t test). Results: The NVLD+ADHD, SCD and ASD1 groups showed weak central coherence. The performance of the ADHD group was normal and differed significantly from the NVLD+ADHD group. Conclusion: Central coherence deficit was not exclusive to ASD1: it also characterizes NVLD and SCD.

Physical Exercise and Life Satisfaction of Urban Residents in China.

Currently, an increasing number of Chinese urban citizens are participating in daily physical exercise. Existing research has shown that physical exercise can increase life satisfaction. However, some studies also suggest that the relationship between the two is unstable. The purposes of this study are to examine physical exercise and to test its correlation with life satisfaction of urban residents in China. Data are obtained from the 2018 China Family Panel Studies, and we focus on urban residents. Our overall sample size is 7423 people, including 3641 females (49.05%) and 3782 males (50.95%), with an average age of 49.55 years old. Because the dependent variables are continuous variables, the multiple linear regression model is used for data analysis. We find that the life satisfaction of Chinese urban residents is on the high side. Our core discovery is that there is a significant positive relationship between the frequency and duration of physical exercise and life satisfaction. Our further discovery is that the frequency of physical exercise affects life satisfaction by influencing popularity and positive emotions. Similarly, the duration of physical exercise affects life satisfaction by influencing popularity and positive emotions. Whether it is the frequency or the duration of physical exercise, it can reflect the residents' attention to physical exercise. Physical exercise habits not only promote physical health by strengthening physical fitness but also promote mental health by alleviating depression and promote social communication by increasing social activities in the Chinese context. All of these can improve people's life satisfaction. Our research suggests that the improvement in life satisfaction not only needs the abundance of external material conditions but also needs the individual to improve their physical and mental health through physical exercise.

Research gaps in the neurodevelopmental assessment of children with complex congenital heart defects: a scoping review.

Background: Children with congenital heart defects (CHD) are at risk for a range of developmental disabilities that challenge cognition, executive functioning, self-regulation, communication, social-emotional functioning, and motor skills. Ongoing developmental surveillance is therefore key to maximizing neurodevelopmental outcome opportunities. It is crucial that the measures used cover the spectrum of neurodevelopmental domains relevant to capturing possible predictors and malleable factors of child development. Objectives: This work aimed to synthesize the literature on neurodevelopmental measures and the corresponding developmental domains assessed in children aged 1-8 years with complex CHD. Methods: PubMed was searched for terms relating to psycho-social, cognitive and linguistic-communicative outcomes in children with CHD. 1,380 papers with a focus on complex CHD that reported neurodevelopmental assessments were identified; ultimately, data from 78 articles that used standardized neurodevelopmental assessment tools were extracted. Results: Thirty-nine (50%) of these excluded children with syndromes, and 9 (12%) excluded children with disorders of intellectual development. 10% of the studies were longitudinal. The neurodevelopmental domains addressed by the methods used were: 53% cognition, 16% psychosocial functioning, 18% language/communication/speech production, and 13% motor development-associated constructs. Conclusions: Data on social communication, expressive and receptive language, speech motor, and motor function are underrepresented. There is a lack of research into everyday use of language and into measures assessing language and communication early in life. Overall, longitudinal studies are required that include communication measures and their interrelations with other developmental domains.

'A certain magic' - autistic adults' experiences of interacting with other autistic people and its relation to Quality of Life: A systematic review and thematic meta-synthesis.

LAY ABSTRACT: Research has suggested that autistic people enjoy spending time with other autistic people and find them easier to talk to. We wanted to find out what autistic people say about spending time with other autistic people and whether this makes their life better. We found 52 papers which described this and reviewed what they found. We found that many autistic people had positive experiences of spending time with other autistic people and these experiences had positive impact on their lives in a range of different ways. The papers did not tell us whether this also happens for autistic people with a learning disability. More research is needed to find out more about why spending time with other autistic people helps some autistic people.

Factors related to social inferencing performance in moderate-severe, chronic TBI.

OBJECTIVE: Following traumatic brain injury (TBI), deficits in social cognition are common. Social inferencing is a crucial component of social cognition that enables an individual to understand the thoughts, feelings, and intentions of a communication partner when this information is not explicitly stated. Existing literature suggests a variety of factors contribute to social inferencing success (e.g. biological sex, executive functioning), yet findings are not conclusive, largely because these factors have been examined in isolation. METHOD: In this cross-sectional study, stepwise regression with cross validation was used to examine the extent that several theoretically motivated factors were associated with social inferencing (measured by performance on The Awareness of Social Inference Test [TASIT]) in adult participants with TBI (n = 105). Demographic information, executive functioning, aggression, emotional functioning measures, and participation in society were all examined in relation to social inferencing performance. RESULTS: The findings confirm the importance of higher-level cognitive skills (i.e. executive functioning) in social inferencing, and advance the literature by underlining the potential importance of productive participation in social inferencing performance. CONCLUSION: This study innovatively highlights factors linked with social inferencing skills and, in doing so, how deficits in social inferencing might manifest in the lives of individuals with TBI.

Ultrasonic vocalization emission is altered following neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury in mice.

Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain injury leads to cognitive impairments including social communication disabilities. Current treatments do not sufficiently target these impairments, therefore new tools are needed to examine social communication in models for neonatal brain injury. Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) during early life show potential as a measurement for social development and reflect landmark developmental stages in neonatal mice. However, changes in USV emission early after HI injury have not been found yet. Our current study examines USV patterns and classes in the first 3 days after HI injury. C57Bl/6 mice were subjected to HI on postnatal day (P)9 and USVs were recorded between P10 and P12. Audio files were analyzed using the VocalMat automated tool. HI-injured mice emitted less USVs, for shorter durations, and at a higher frequency compared to control (sham-operated) littermates. The HI-induced alterations in USVs were most distinct at P10 and in the frequency range of 50-75 kHz. At P10 HI-injured mouse pups also produced different ratios of USV class types compared to control littermates. Moreover, alterations in the duration and frequency were specific to certain USV classes in HI animals compared to controls. Injury in the striatum and hippocampus contributed most to alterations in USV communication after HI. Overall, neonatal HI injury leads to USV alterations in newborn mice which could be used as a tool to study early HI-related social communication deficits.