# Parental Stress and Caregiver Role Modulate Child–Caregiver Prosodic Synchrony in Autism: A Computational Analysis

## TL;DR

High parental stress, especially in fathers, disrupts communication coordination with autistic children, suggesting the need for mental health support.

## Contribution

This study reveals how parental stress affects vocal coordination with autistic children, with a focus on caregiver roles and computational analysis.

## Key findings

- Higher parental stress correlates with less stable and predictable prosodic synchrony in parent–child interactions.
- Father–child dyads show stronger associations between stress and disrupted coordination compared to mother–child dyads.
- Stress impacts moment-to-moment vocal coordination, not just general acoustic similarity.

## Abstract

Parental stress influences parent–child interactions in typical development and is a prognostic factor of autism outcome. However, we still do not know to what extent parental stress affects parent–child interactions and whether caregiver role matters. This study explored the relationship between parental stress and prosodic synchrony in parent–child vocal interactions, drawing on complex dynamic systems and affective computing frameworks. We assessed 62 dyads (31 autistic preschoolers, interacting separately with their mother and father) during structured play interactions at two time points (12 months apart) along with perceived parental stress. We used a Deep Learning model to segment child‐caregiver acoustic interactions with high accuracy automatically. Downstream, prosodic synchrony was modeled through cross‐recurrence quantification analysis. Linear mixed‐effects models were used to assess the impact of parental stress, caregiver role, and time on synchrony metrics. Models showed significant associations between parental stress and synchrony metrics for spectral and formant amplitude features. Higher stress levels were linked to less stable, predictable, and structured interactions. These effects were more pronounced in father–child dyads compared to mother–child dyads. Permutation analyses confirmed that these associations were specific to moment‐to‐moment coordination rather than general acoustic similarity. In autistic children, parental stress levels are linked with the temporal dynamics of parent–child prosodic synchrony, specifically affective speech and moment‐to‐moment coordination. It appears to be more pronounced in fathers. The results underscore the importance of fostering parental well‐being and tailoring interventions to account for differences between maternal and paternal interaction patterns in autism.

Parents of autistic children often experience high levels of stress, which can affect how they communicate with their child.

This study found that when parents—especially fathers—feel more stressed, their communication with their child becomes less coordinated and more difficult to follow.

Supporting parents' mental health could help improve how they connect and communicate with their autistic children.

The study employed artificial intelligence techniques to analyze parent–child vocal interactions.