By Staff Writer
It is commonly known that yawning is often contagious, but a recent study has shown that children under the age of four years and those who have autism are less likely to have this social tendency.
Researchers at the University of Connecticut, who published the report in the September issue of the journal Child Development, revealed that the phenomenon often does not apply to kids in these two categories.
They examined 120 typically developing children between the ages of one and six years old. Although babies begin to yawn spontaneously even before being born, most kids in the study did not show signs of contagious yawning until they reached four years of age.
Next, the team studied children between the ages of six and 15 who had autism spectrum disorders and compared them to age-matched, typically developing peers. They found that the incidence of contagious yawning decreased significantly for these individuals, and that those who had more severe autistic symptoms were even less likely to do so.
"Given that [this phenomenon] may be a sign of empathy, this study suggests that children with ASD may miss subtle cues that tie them emotionally to others," the researchers concluded.