Processes of Early Social Learning in Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Authors:   , Hamner Taralee , Lee Nancy Raitano , Vivanti Giacomo 
Published: February 2022

Neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and mixed-etiology developmental delays (DD), represent a category of early disruptions to typical development that are increasing in prevalence (Zablotsky et al., 2019). Several ASD-specific interventions targeting social learning processes (e.g., social attention, joint attention, and social attribution) promote skill development, but to date, no interventions are designed or tailored for DD. A better understanding of social learning profiles, group specificity, and targets of treatment is needed to inform interventions. As such, this study aims to fill gaps in the literature related to both underpinnings of social learning in ASD and DD relative to typically developing (i.e., no diagnosis) peers, as well as in the relationship between social learning and developmental functioning. Participants included 51 toddlers and preschoolers with ASD (n=27), DD (n=14), and no diagnosis (n=10) matched on chronological age. Analyses included mental age as a covariate. Two separate one-way ANCOVAs (with mental age covaried) examined group level differences in the relative time children viewed aspects of stimuli measuring social attention and social attribution. Joint attention (binary variable measuring the presence or absence of joint attention) was assessed via chi-square analyses. A 2x2 mixed-model ANCOVA (with mental age covaried) evaluated whether social learning profiles differed among clinical groups. Bivariate correlations were completed to examine the relationship between social learning and developmental functioning. Groups did not statistically differ on social attention or joint attention (ASD, DD, no diagnosis). Social attribution was significantly reduced in ASD compared to no diagnosis peers (ASD<no diagnosis) but did not differ from DD peers (ASD, DD). Within groups, those with ASD had higher levels of social attention and lower levels of social attribution (i.e., were less deviant from no diagnosis peers on social attention than social attribution), but those with DD did not differ. A significant positive association between social attribution and adaptive functioning existed for the DD group. No other significant correlations were observed. Findings suggest that early social learning profiles for children with DD and ASD may be more similar, and perhaps less deviant from no diagnosis peers, during this developmental period than previously appreciated. ASD can be differentiated from no diagnosis peers on social attribution whereas those with DD are likely differentiated from no diagnosis peers on both social attention and social attribution (given large effect sizes, despite groups not being statistically different). The DD group showed a unique relationship between early social learning and developmental outcomes (i.e., social attribution and adaptive functioning) with a significantly stronger association than that observed in the ASD group. Findings have important implications for informing tailored intervention in each group. Within ASD, social attribution was deviant from no diagnosis peers and was reduced compared to their social attention skills. Thus, social attention may be an important construct that can be leveraged to augment social attribution skills within early intervention. Within DD, children showed weaknesses on both social attention and social attribution which were equally impaired. Further, weaknesses in social attribution and adaptive functioning may be linked and thus are an important target of tailored intervention for this group. Future research should further investigate social learning deficits in DDs using a larger sample and more homogeneous DD groups in order to extend these findings and inform tailored interventions that may draw upon treatments developed for children with ASD.