Predicting self-injurious behavior at age three among infant siblings of children with autism.
Early SIB, stereotypy, sensory issues, and lower IQ at 12 months flag high-risk infant siblings who will still self-injure at three.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team watched baby brothers and sisters of kids with autism.
They looked for self-biting, head-banging, hand-flapping, and sensory quirks at 12 months.
They tested each baby’s IQ and checked who still hurt themselves at age three.
What they found
Babies who already showed SIB, stereotypy, or sensory issues kept hurting themselves later.
Lower early IQ added extra risk.
These four red flags together forecast persistent self-injury in the third year.
How this fits with other research
Barnard-Brak et al. (2015) saw the same pattern in 1,871 people with ID. Body-rocking and yelling predicted later SIB, giving a big-sample twin to this infant study.
Tureck et al. (2013) stretch the warning down the road: adults with severe ID plus ASD and verbal skills show the highest SIB rates, proving the risk chain starts early and lasts.
Yitik Tonkaz et al. (2023) widen the lens. Preschoolers with ASD who have gut and sensory problems also show more SIB, linking early sensory red flags to both GI pain and self-harm.
Why it matters
If you serve families who already have one child with ASD, screen the baby at the first birthday. Mark any self-bite, repeated flap, sensory crash, or low test score. Start parent coaching, sensory diets, and prevention plans right then. Acting before the first tooth mark lowers the chance of lasting injury and crisis.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Existing research suggests that self-injurious behavior (SIB) is a relatively common interfering behavior that can occur across the lifespan of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We previously reported that SIB or proto-injurious SIB at 12 months was related to increased risk of SIB at 24 months among a preschool sample of children with a high familial likelihood for ASD (Dimian et al., 2017). In the present study, we extend these findings, examine SIB occurrence, and associated potential risk factors at 36 months. The present sample included 149 infants with an older sibling with ASD (65.8% male) who completed assessments at ages 12, 24, and 36 months. Descriptive analyses and binary logistic regression models were utilized. SIB was more prevalent among those children who received a diagnosis of ASD. Logistic regression indicated that presence of SIB, stereotypy, hyper- and hypo- sensory responsivity, and lower intellectual functioning at age 12 months significantly predicted the occurrence of SIB at 36 months. These findings have implications for understanding developmental processes culminating in persistent SIB and may inform prevention programming.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2023 · doi:10.1002/aur.2981