Componential deconstruction of infant distress vocalizations via tree-based models: a study of cry in autism spectrum disorder and typical development

Understanding early episodes of cry is essential to improve caregiver–child interaction and child well-being. Caregiver perceptions of cry are based on interpretations of different acoustic characteristics of the cry, including the length of the pauses, the number of utterances, and the fundamental frequency. In this study, we used tree-based models to establish a hierarchy of effect in terms of how these acoustic characteristics influence perceptions of cries of children with autism compared to cries of typically developing children. In two studies, one in Italy and the other in Japan, we found that cries of children with autism are perceived more negatively. We also found that the length of the pauses, more than the number of utterances or fundamental frequency, determines listeners’ negative perceptions. Implications for early caregiver–child interactions are discussed.