The temperament features associated with autism spectrum disorder in childhood: A systematic review.
Kids with autism look easy at six months, then show sharper anger and poorer self-control after age one.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team hunted every paper that compared temperament in kids with autism and typical kids. They found 42 studies that used parent forms like the CBQ or lab tasks like the Still Face. Ages ranged from babies to young learners.
They coded three big traits: negative affect (how quick to anger or fear), extraversion (how much they seek people), and effortful control (how well they can wait or shift focus).
What they found
After diagnosis, kids with autism scored higher on anger, fear, and sadness. They also scored lower on smiling, approaching new toys, and stopping themselves when told.
But here is the twist: babies who were later diagnosed looked 'easy' at 6–12 months. They cried less and slept more than typical babies. The tough traits showed up only after the first birthday.
How this fits with other research
Nuebling et al. (2024) meta-analysis shows the same kids also have more emotion dysregulation. The two reviews line up: poor effortful control feeds meltdowns.
Yorke et al. (2018) found these extra emotional problems raise parent stress. Mulder et al. (2020) gives the child side; Isabel gives the parent fallout.
Taylor et al. (2017) showed preschoolers with autism can regulate with family but fail with strangers. Mulder et al. (2020) explains why: low extraversion means less social practice, so regulation breaks outside the home.
Why it matters
You cannot use early ‘easy’ temperament to rule out autism. Keep screening even the calm babies if social communication lags. After diagnosis, add regulation and social-approach goals to the behavior plan. Teach waiting, shifting, and smiling during natural play. These targets are as important as language or toileting.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Temperament is an important construct that shapes child development. Temperament is suggested to present differently in different groups, such as children with neurodevelopmental disorders. However, it is not known whether there are specific temperament features associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). AIM: This systematic review aimed to synthesise extant literature to determine whether there are temperament features associated with ASD in infancy, toddlerhood and childhood. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Following the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews, we searched PsycINFO, CINAHL, Academic Search Ultimate and ProQuest for all available articles from database conception until January 2020. The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal checklists were used to assess the methodological quality of included articles. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Twenty-six articles met the selection criteria: (1) reported on the temperament of children (0-12 years of age) diagnosed with ASD, (2) peer-reviewed; and (3) published in English. Articles varied in overall methodological quality. Infants later diagnosed with ASD were found to more frequently be described as having 'easy' temperament features in early infancy, compared to typically developing infants and infants with developmental concerns but not ASD. Once diagnosed, children with ASD were reported to, as a group, display more negative affect, less extraversion and less effortful control than typically developing children. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The literature suggests that more challenging temperament features are associated with ASD in childhood, but less is known about within group variability. Overall, this review highlights the need for further investigation into the variability of temperament in children with ASD.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2020 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103711