Continuity in social communication development among school-aged siblings of autistic children.

This study followed siblings of autistic children from babies to school-age. Researchers found that about 1 in 10 non-autistic siblings had ongoing social communication challenges that started showing up around 12-18 months old. These children also had lower academic performance and more difficulty interacting with new people. The study suggests that even siblings who don't have autism may benefit from extra support if early challenges are noticed.

This longitudinal study followed 266 siblings of autistic children from infancy to school-age (6-16 years), examining social communication development patterns. Using latent profile analysis, researchers identified three distinct groups based on school-age social communication abilities: higher (45.5%), intermediate (45.2%), and lower (9.3%) functioning groups. The lower-functioning group showed broader developmental differences including reduced IQ and academic achievement, with social communication challenges most evident with unfamiliar partners. Importantly, differences between groups emerged as early as 12-18 months, demonstrating continuity from early childhood to school-age.

Findings suggest early subclinical differences in siblings may persist and warrant ongoing monitoring and support.

Early subclinical social communication differences in siblings of autistic children may persist and require ongoing monitoring. Even non-autistic siblings showing early challenges should receive additional support. Assessment should be comprehensive, considering academic and cognitive development alongside social communication skills.

Study limitations are not explicitly described in the abstract. Sample size breakdown by group and specific methodological details are not provided. The study design type is not clearly specified, limiting assessment of methodological rigor.

Prospective studies of later born siblings of autistic individuals often focus on predicting autism diagnosis. Studies concentrating on siblings who do not develop autism have found subclinical atypicalities in some children as early as the first year of life. However, when followed to school-age, the continuity of these findings has been mixed. We tracked nonautistic siblings (= 151 higher familial likelihood of autism,= 115 lower likelihood) longitudinally from infancy to 6-16 years of age when participants completed a battery of social communication measures (parent report and direct observation/administration).

Using latent profile analysis, we derived groupings based on patterns of performance across measures. Three groups were identified:(45.5%),(45.2%), and(9.3%)-characterized by higher, intermediate, and lower school-age social communication abilities, respectively. We then examined the performance of these classes on independent measures of pragmatic language, reciprocal social interaction, and cognition.demonstrated social communication differences that were most evident with novel interactive partners (e.g., examiners) and scored lower on IQ and academic achievement measures, indicating that social communication differences captured by the latent profile analysis were part of a broader pattern of developmental differences. Using data collected in the first 3 years of life, we found that the school-age classes began showing differences by 12-18 months of age-evidence of continuity between early behavior and later development.

Findings suggest that when early childhood challenges are observed in siblings of autistic children, even those not meeting criteria for autism, they should be monitored over time and additional support offered as needed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).