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Brief Report: Social Skills, Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms, and Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia in Autism

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Abstract

Theoretical and empirical models describe respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) as a peripheral biomarker of emotion regulation and social competence. Recent findings also link RSA to individual differences in social functioning within autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, associations between RSA and symptoms of internalizing/externalizing psychopathology in ASD have not been explored. We assessed RSA, social functioning, and internalizing/externalizing symptoms among boys with and without ASD. Compared with controls, participants with ASD evidenced reduced parasympathetic cardiac control, which correlated with social behavior. Symptoms were associated with deficiencies in RSA, over-and-above the contribution of social functioning. These findings yield a more nuanced understanding of parasympathetic function in ASD, and suggest a role for integrative intervention strategies that address socioemotional difficulties.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Box 357920, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA

    Emily Neuhaus & Raphael Bernier

  2. Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Theodore P. Beauchaine

Authors
  1. Emily Neuhaus
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  2. Raphael Bernier
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  3. Theodore P. Beauchaine
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Correspondence to Emily Neuhaus.

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Neuhaus, E., Bernier, R. & Beauchaine, T.P. Brief Report: Social Skills, Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms, and Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia in Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 44, 730–737 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1923-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1923-7

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